An Explosive Family Reunion
by whackybiscuit
Summary: Written in collaboration with BlueShard20. Kisuke finds Bambietta's body in the rubble of the Soul Society and decides to revive her. After resurrecting her, he finds that Bambietta is actually from Karakura Town and she has family there. He asks Ichigo to take her home but the Substitute soon learns to his disbelief that Bambi's family is closer than he imagined. IchigoXBambietta.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20. It's been an idea we've tossed around back and forth and now it's time I lived up to my promise to BlueShard20 and get started on it.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. **

_**An Explosive Family Reunion**_

 _Chapter One_

 _ **Shortly after the end of the Thousand-Year Blood War….  
**_ **Soul Society**

Kisuke walked along a trail of rubble. Much of the Seireitei had been demolished by the rampage of one of the Quincy Royal Guard. The Sternritter had been taken down by Izuru Kira but the damage was done.

Leaning heavily on his cane, Kisuke reached up and ran a hand across his cheek, feeling the stitches caused by his Bankai. Nel had saved him, Yoruichi, Yushiro and Grimmjow from Askin Nak Le Varr's deathtrap. Yoruichi was recuperating with her brother at the Shihoin manor and Grimmjow and Nel returned to Heuco Mundo to recover. After detoxing them all, Kisuke told everyone to just rest and recover. Feeling the rough edges of the stiches on his face, Kisuke grimaced. The stitches would come out eventually but for now they were a reminder of how close brushed with death.

Walking along a cleared path, he soon came upon a trail of blood. "Hmm?" He scratched his chin as he followed it into the ruins of a house. He looked around and recognized this as the area where Ichgio first landed after returning from the Soul King's palace.

Entering the wrecked house, Kisuke followed the trail of blood until he found the source of it. When he saw the source of it, his expression turned grim. He'd seen dead bodies before, what with being a former member of the Stealth Force and the captain of Squad 12, but this even made him wrinkle his nose in disgust.

Before him lay the dead body of the Sternritter E, Bambietta Basterbine. She lay in the middle of the rubble like a broken rag doll. Her white Vandenreich uniform was in tatters, and her body was caked in dried blood. From the way her head was twisted Kisuke figured it'd been a broken neck that did her in.

However, Kisuke also knew who was most likely responsible for it. While preparing the trip to the Soul King's palace, Mayuri Kurotsuchi relayed to him about his battle with the Z Sternritter, Giselle. Amidst the horrific details of that battle which turned three captians and a lieutenant into Gigi's pawns, Mayuri also told him about the undead Sternritter who came to Gigi's aid. According to Mayuri, Gigi boasted about how she (or he according to Yumichika) killed Bambietta after she'd been defeated by Sajin Komamura, who was coincidentally missing after the war.

Walking over to the dead girl, Kisuke examined her further. Her skin was a dark red thanks to the corruptive power of Gigi's Schrift. Judging by the marks on Bambietta's head and the bite mark on her stomach, it was pretty obvious who was the responsible party for killing Bambietta for the second time. Kisuke frowned in disgust that Gigi would do this to her own friend a second time. Even Mayuri wouldn't be cruel to kill a person twice for no reason.

Kisuke sat up and grabbed his communicator, weighing his options. She was an enemy and a psychotic one at that. That being said, there was something quite tragic about her situation and Kisuke knew an opportunity when he saw one. He figured there was much about the Quincy that was still unanswered and part of him felt sorry for this girl. She knew that the Quincies weren't big on the whole loyalty idea, what with their king knocking his own soldiers off like Thin Mints, but this girl had been betrayed not once but twice by her own friends.

Grabbing some cloth from the rubble, Kisuke wrapped up Bambietta's body and carried her away, careful not to let anyone see him carry the dead girl. He made it to a part of Mayuri's lab that was deserted and went about gathering some things he'd need in order to revive the Sternritter. He wasn't going to do something as barbaric as what Mayuri did with the Arrancar ("Speaking of which," Kisuke noted as he looked around, "What happened to Mayuri's Arrancar?"). No, his resuscitation would be less grotesque, if a little time consuming.

Not only that, he really wanted to stick it to Mayuri one more time by one-upping him.

 _ **Sometime Later….  
**_ **Urahara Shop: Kisuke's Lab**

"Are you sure about this?" Tessai asked as he handed Kisuke some tools. "She's an enemy. And from the rumors I'd heard a very violent one at that."

Kisuke took the tools and continued working on the decesased Bambietta, who lay naked on a table like a frog getting dissected. "I've her limbs restrained and I have a Seki-Seki band wrapped around her neck. The most she'll do is give me a bad headache."

"Can Seki-Seki negate Yhwach's Schrifts?" Tessai asked.

"We'll find out." Kisuke finished his preparations and injected a needle attached to a tube to Bambietta's neck, pumping fluid into her still body. "We should be fortunate that her body didn't disintegrate after death. Quincies are quite quirky like that." Walking over to a set of machines, Kisuke put on some goggles and grabbed a switch. "Alright. Let's do it."

Without further ado Kisuke flipped the switch.

Electricity jolted into Bambietta's body, making her lifeless body spasm as the currents ran through her body. Vials filled with noxious looking liquid poured through IV's into her neck, arms and sides. Another jolt of electricity went through her, restarting her heart. Bambietta's toes curled and her spine arched as her muscles were heated, bones popping as the blood, untainted and freed of Gigi's corruption, that filled her veins started to move as he heart started to beat.

Slowly, Bambietta Basterbine her eyes, coming back from the dead.

It's said that the first thing that a person does when they enter the world is enter it screaming, which is fitting because the first thing that Bambietta did when she was reborn was scream at the top of her lungs. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Her scream was so loud that both Kisuke and Tessai had to cover their ears. Bambietta thrashed against her restraints as she screamed, her mind quickly recalling the last events of her life….

 _Bambietta struggled to breathe. She lay on the ground in a ruined heap, her beautiful body completely wrecked after Sajin Komamura had forced her Explode power back into her own body. Smoke rose up as she lay on the ground, her beautiful features burned and charred. "D-damn it!" she choked, unable to move a muscle. "Why was I the first to lose out of the five of us?!"_

 _"Bambi…."_

 _The fallen Sternritter blinked and saw her four fellow Sternritters, Candi, Mini, Lil, and Gigi all gathered around her. At first Bambietta thought that they were there to help her but the look in their eyes told her better. Gigi leaned forward and smiled her smile that belied her malicious intent. "Poor Bambi…we'd be so sad to lose you…."_

 _Bambietta's heart went cold as the Sternritter hovered over her like an angel of death. She tried to scream but the sound was lost._

 _"Don't worry, Gigi…we'll take good care of you…" Gigi said, the smile on her face growing wider._

 _This time Bambietta did manage to scream but it was to no avail. "No, Gigi! DON'T!"_

 _Gigi didn't listen._

 _The other three Sternritter did nothing as Gigi knelt down and pulled out a small knife and pushed it into Bambietta's chest, stabbing her right in the heart. Bambietta's face twisted with pain as her life slowly came to an end. Gigi took delight in every choked gasp Bambietta made before her head rolled back. By the time she pulled the knife out Bambietta was dead. Cutting her hand, she dripped red blood into the dead Bambietta's mouth. The Sternritter watched as Bambietta's skin turned red and her eyes became glassy, signaling her transformation into an undead zombie…._

 _The next thing she remembered was lying in a crumpled heap under a makeshift shelter, having been defeated by the undead Arrancar, Charlotte . Her arm felt weird having been cut off and reattached by Gigi's bizarre power. She lay there helpless as her so-called comrade Gigi bit down on her stomach and started to suck her blood out in an attempt to heal her own mortal injury._

 _Bambietta looked down at Gigi and groaned in pain. "Gigi…don't suck so much blood…I don't wanna die…."_

 _Her reward for voicing her self-preservation was her head getting smash into the ground. "Are you stupid?" Gigi screamed in fury at the zombie's disobedience. "Who cares about you? You're already dead?" Amidst her smashing there was a resounding crack. When she looked down she saw that Bambietta's eyes had for the second time gone dark and that she was dead, her neck having been broken by Gigi's abuse, sending her into the void for the second time…._

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Bambietta screamed as she thrashed against her restraints. "GET AWAY! GIGI! GET AWAY, YOU MONSTER! NOOOOOO!"

Kisuke ran over to Bambietta and put his hands on her shoudlers, restraining her from hurting herself. "Stop," he said in a demanding voice. "Gigi's gone."

The words had their intended effect. Bambietta took in her environment as Tessai put a blanket over her, obscuring her nudity. "What…what is this place?" Bambietta quickly said as she looked from side to side. "You…you're Kisuke Urahara!" she gasped, realizing she was in the hands of her enemy.

"You can relax, Miss," Urahara said as he grabbed a pitcher of water and poured some into a glass. "I mean you no harm. I found you in the rubble while we were cleaning up the Soul Society and decided to bring you back."

"Wait…" Bambietta looked at Kisuke confused. "What…what about the war?"

"It's over. Yhwach is dead. The Vandenreich has been defeated. Aside from Uryu Ishida, you're the only Sternritter left." He offered the girl the cup of water. "Can you remember your name? You've been through quite the ordeal, having died twice."

Her mouth sore from screaming, Bambietta drank the water before lying her head back down, her head feeling like her brain had been stuffed with cotton. "My name…my name is Bambietta Basterbine."

"I see…" Kisuke said as he turned away to grab more tools. Reviving Bambietta was only the first step. Getting her body to start working properly was the hard part. When he turned back to the girl he saw that she was crying. He didn't even need to ask if she was alright. That was a bit of a moot point. Putting a pillow behind her head, he sat in a chair and began to monitor Bambietta's life signs.

"Gigi…where's Gigi?" Bambietta asked, looking around terrified.

Looking back at her, Kisuke gave her a reassuring nod. "Don't worry. She's dead. Yhwach killed her."

Bambietta calmed down and took deep breaths, her fear of the Z Sternritter subsiding. "Good…" she said as she laid her head back down. "She got her just deserts. She…I can't believe what she did to me!" she cried, tears running down her face. "She killed me! I thought…I thought we were friends! And Candi, Mini and Lil…they just watched!"

Kisuke stared at the girl and didn't know what to tell her. In fact, he really didn't know what to do with her in all honesty. He'd brought her back from the dead as a means to see if he could but he really didn't plan on what to do afterward. ' _I should bring in Yoruichi,'_ Kisuke thought since Yoruichi had returned to the shop after having recovered from her ordeal. ' _She might be able to calm her down.'_

"I hate them!" Bambietta cried, sobbing her eyes out.

"Take it easy," Kisuke said softly, holding her hand. "They're dead. All of them." Amidst the cleanup process the Soul Reapers, in addition to collecting the bodies of Liltotto and Giselle, had discovered the bodies of Meninas and Candice, both killed when they were struck by Yhwach's Auswahlen.

Calming down, Bambietta looked up at Kisuke confused. "How…how'd you bring me back? And why?"

Kisuke gave her a sly smile. "Actually, it's quite ironic. It was because you were zombified that I was able to bring you back to life. Gigi's zombification preserved your body. Even though you were beaten pretty badly it wasn't that hard to set your body back together. As to why…" Kisuke merely shrugged. "To make a long story short: a whim."

After giving Bambietta another glass of water, he started to fill her in on what she'd missed since her death. Bambietta was horrified by what Kisuke told her; Yhwach, her king, had completely turned on his own loyal soldiers and had attempted to destroy all three worlds! "That…that's…" she stammered, her body breaking out with goosebumps at the news. "I can't believe His Majesty would do such a thing. I thought…we were to simply conquer the Soul Society…he…he promised…." Turning away from Kisuke she started to cry again.

"What's wrong?"

"…Home…" she muttered, her mind in another place. "I…I wanna go home…."

Kisuke merely shook his head in sadness. "I'm sorry but the Vandenreich is gone. Yhwach destroyed it when he rebuilt the King's Palace."

But to his surprise, Bambietta merely shook her head. "No…that's not my home." She looked up at Kisuke with pleading eyes. "Please, take me out of the Soul Society. I just wanna go home…."

Again Kisuke shook his head. "You've nothing to worry about here. We're not in the Soul Society. We're in my shop back in Karakura Town."

Bambietta's eyes lit up with hope. "Karakura Town?! But that's…that's my birthplace!"

Looking down at Bambietta confused, Kisuke merely flipped his fan to cover his face and stared down at the girl with an appraising eye. Now that he thought about it…she did look sort of familiar. He dismissed the notion of her being Ichigo or Uryu's long-lost sister since he was one hundred percent certain that their mother's didn't produce any more children that he was aware of. Still, his curiosity was piqued.

"Explain."

 _ **A few days later….  
**_ **Kurosaki House; Ichigo's Room**

Ichigo was roused from his nap when his phone went off. Sitting up, he checked his phone and flipped it open, seeing Kisuke's number on the screen. Frowning, he hit the answer button and put the phone to his ear. He hadn't heard from Kisuke since the end of the battle but then again he hadn't heard much from anyone besides Rukia and Renji since he was busy winding down from the war with some much needed R&R. "Hello?"

" _Hey, Ichigo,"_ came Kisuke's voice from the other end of the call.

"What is it, Kisuke?"

" _Could you come to the shop please? It's kinda important. Not world-ending important or friend-in-peril important, but still important."_

"Why do you need me?" he asked.

" _Let's just say…the matter involves a more compassionate hand and you'll understatnd why I asked you in due time. Just get over here. Please?"_

Ichigo stared at the phone in dismay. Kisuke rarely, if ever, used the P word. "Um…okay, I'll be there in a moment." Hanging up, Ichigo got dressed and headed out the door. His body still ached in some places from his final battle with Yhwach but Orihime and the other healers said that was to be expected and told him he'd make a full recovery. As of now the Squads were busy getting everything repaired and everyone in the World of the Living was enjoying the break they all earned.

Walking along the familiar path, he saw the exiled Soul Reaper's candy shop up ahead. He saw the man himself sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch, his face still looking like Frankenstein's monster's cousin. "Hey, Kisuke. So what's so important?" he asked.

Kisuke took a minute to get out of his chair, having not fully recovered from the detoxing treatment he performed on himself. "Hello, Ichigo. Thanks for coming. I just need you to do a favor for a new friend of mine."

"Who?" Ichigo asked as the two walked in. Kisuke was silent as he led Ichigo into the living room. With the exception of Yoruichi, who was sleeping on a cushion next to the window in her cat form, basking in the sunlight, there was only other person in the room. It was a face that Ichigo didn't recognize. She was a girl about as old as him with dark hair and a pretty face, wearing a white shirt and blue jeans with a belt that had a heart belt buckle.

"Ichigo, meet Bambietta Basterbine," Kisuke introduced.

Bambietta looked at Ichigo nervously as she got up and offered him her hand. "It's…nice to meet you, Ichigo. You can call me Bambi."

As Ichigo shook her hand he noticed how her name sounded familiar. "Wait…Bambietta…."

"Correct," Kisuke said, knowing that Ichigo was reconizing her name. "She was the former E Sternritter."

Ichigo turned back to Bambi and took a step back. "Wait, what?!" he gasped. "You're one of the Sternritter?"

"I was…" Bambi said glumly. She held up a hand and sighed in disappointment. "But not anymore. I don't have my Schrift anymore."

Ichigo blinked in confusion. "Wait, why don't you have your Schrift? And I thought Uryu was the only Sternritter left? And…and why're you here in Kisuke's shop?!" he demanded to know, turning to the shopkeeper. "I'm so confused!"

After settling Ichigo down, Kisuke explained all to Ichigo. He told him of Bambi's death and her subsequent second death while also adding that because she'd died the part of her soul that contained Yhwach's power was returned to Yhwach, leaving her without the Explode. She still had her normal Quincy powers but she was no longer a threat to the Soul Society since her Schrift and Vollsterndich were gone now.

As Kisuke explained away, Ichigo noticed Bambi staring at the ground in shame. When her eyes flicked up at Ichigo he could see a hint of fear in her eyes. He and Bambi stared at each other for a moment before the boy turned to the shopkeeper. "So what'd you need me for?"

"Well…" Kisuke pointed his fan to Bambietta. "Why don't you explain, Bambietta?"

The Sternritter looked at Ichigo warily before opening up. "I'm a Quincy but…the Vandenreich isn't my home. I'm actually from Karakura Town."

Ichigo blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Uh huh…so…I was wondering…could you please escort me home? I'm not that famililar with the area so I don't want to end up getting lost."

Ichigo looked at the girl and wondered what he should do. He'd heard all about how this girl went on a killing spree and stole Captain Komamura's Bankai. He turned to Kisuke and raised an eyebrow. "Does the Soul Society know about this?"

"That they do not," Kisuke admitted. "It was my call to make and as long as Bambietta behaves herself and not causes trouble I won't tell them of her existence."

Scratching the back of his head, Ichigo turned back to Bambi and gave her a small nod. "I suppose…who's your family anyway?"

Bambietta looked out the window nervously before speaking. "Well…my father took me away when I was little but I know my mother still lives here. But…I'm not sure if she'll even recognize me…" she said glumly.

The black cat on the cushion raised her head and looked over at Bambietta. "Don't sell yourself short. A mother never forgets." She turned to look at Ichigo and nodded. "Don't worry, Ichigo. I've already spoken with her and she has promised to not hurt anyone in return for Kisuke resurrecting her."

Ichigo decided to get this over with and stood up, offering her his hand. If Kisuke and Yoruichi vouched for her then that was enough for him. Bambietta took his hand and let him help her up. "Thank you," she said.

"Awww!" Kisuke said from behind his fan. "Look at you two! You look like such a nice couple. So roman-AHHH!" he screamed when Bambietta kicked him in the face.

"I'm not some harlot, you blockhead!" Bambi screamed, kicking him again while he was down.

Sweatdropping, Yoruichi turned to Ichigo who was standing there stunned. "Yeeeeah…now you see why Kisuke wanted you to handle the matter…as you can see…she's a spitfire…."

"No kidding," Ichigo said before tapping Bambi's shoulder. "C'mon. Let's go."

"Okay." Bambi stopped kicking Kisuke and walked out of the room. "C'mon!" she called out.

Ichigo followed her out of the shop and saw her looking from side to side. "Do you remember your address?" he asked.

"No," she said disappointedly. "I was really young. I only remember snippets from when Mama took me to the park."

"Okay," Ichigo said, figuring this'd be a long day. "Why don't we head to the park and try to retrace your steps."

Ichigo led her to the park, the two walking silently. Ichigo could tell that Bambi was nervous being near him; he figured that was to be expected since he was her enemy after all. When they reached the park, Bambietta looked around, humming as she reached back into her oldest memories. Ichigo waited for several minutes before asking the obvious. "Do you remember?"

Bambi glared at Ichigo with burning eyes. "Give me a minute! I need to think!" Huffing, she turned back around before she was hit by a wave of nostalgia when she saw the road leading out of the park. "This way!" As the followed the street, Bambi became more and more assured that they were going the right way.

But as they did, Ichigo noticed something as well. This neighborhood…looked awefully familiar…. "You sure we're going the right way?" he asked, having not stopped for ten minutes.

"Of course I'm sure!" Bambi bit back, hurrying along as wave after wave of memories came back to her. When they rounded the corner she suddenly came to a stop. "Um…."

"What is it?" Ichigo asked.

"I just realized something..." Bambietta looked up at Ichigo with worried eyes. "What if my mother doesn't want me? She hasn't seen me in years."

Ichigo put his hand on her shoulder and did his best to give her a warm smile. True, she may have been the enemy but the war was over now and he could understand the turmoil inside her, especially after what she'd already gone though. "Like Yoruichi said: a mother never forgets. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."

Nodding cautiously, Bambi looked forward. "Okay…."

"Do you recognize your house?"

"Uh huh…" Bambi pointed to one of the houses in particular. "It's right there. That's my house."

Ichigo stopped dead in his tracks. He'd recognize that house anywhere. "Are…you sure?" he asked, looking at her in disbelief.

Ignoring Ichigo, Bambietta walked up the stairs on the side of the house to the front door. Despite her crazy and spontaneous attitude she was quite scared at the moment. As Ichigo followed her up the stairs, staring at her in complete disbelief, she raised a shaky hand and knocked on the door.

"Hang on!" came the voice on the other side of the door. "I'll be right there!" When the door opened up, the woman who owned the house revealed herself, holding a stack of papers under her arm. She recognized one of the two visitors instantly. "Ichigo? What're you doing here?" the woman said. She turned to the girl who Ichigo was accompanied and began to speak. "And who's your girl…friend…."

When the words died in the woman's mouth and her eyes widened in recognition, Ichigo knew right then and there that Bambietta was telling the truth. And now that he had them both in front of him, he could definitely see the family resemblance.

"Mama…" Bambietta choked, unable to believe that this was real.

Dropping the stack of papers, Ikumi Unagiya felt tears pour from her eyes as she stared at her long-lost daughter. "Bambi?" she gasped. "Is that really you?"

"I'm home," Bambietta Basterbine Unagiya said before hugging her mother.

To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20. A word to the anonymous reviewer called Skeptical: You make a fair argument but that's the beauty of Fanfiction. It's because of the lack of canon that allows me to weave together a coherent story that : I don't own Bleach.**

 _Chapter Two_

 _ **Back to where we left off….**_ **Unagiya Residence**

Ichigo found himself in a state of confusion as he sat in his chair, watching Ikumi hug her long-lost daughter. "Bambietta, Ikumi's really your mom?" He noticed how Ikumo had returned to her over affectionate state and was practically smothering Bambietta.

Wiping her eyes, Bambi nodded. "Yes. Basterbine is my middle name. My full name is Bambietta Basterbine Unagiya. My father made me drop it when I joined the-" her eyes flicked over to Ikumi and she quickly recovered, "My father's side of the family."

"Bambi," Ikumi said, breaking the embrace and sitting back. "I've so many questions I don't even know where to start. Where's your father? Where've you been for all these years?"

"Dad's…" Bambietta looked away. "Dad's dead. I was staying with his friends for all this time until they died in an accident. So I came back here. I was staying with a friend of Ichigo's and he offered to take me home."

Ikumi's eyes narrowed as she looked at her daughter. "I see…" Ichigo saw the look on her face and knew that Ikumi could see that Bambi was avoiding the bulk of her questions while giving vague responses. Standing up, Ikumi wiped her eyes and turned around. "You two wait here. I'll bring us some tea so we can talk more."

Ichigo waited for Ikumi to leave the room before turning to her daughter. "Bambietta, can I ask you some questions?" Bambi silently nodded. "Well, I was going to ask if you could go into detail about what you told Ikumi. You were pretty vague on what happened to your dad."

Sighing, Bambietta sat back against the couch and looked down at the coffee table. "My father really loved Mama but he was too loyal to the Vandenreich to stay with her. I didn't know about my Quincy heritage until I was three years old. It's one of my earliest memories….

 _ **Years Ago….**_ **Unagiya Residence; Bambietta's Room**

 _The little girl sitting on the floor played with her stuffed animals, laughing happily. She could hear noises from downstairs but paid it no mind. She hugged her stuff pillow that was shaped like a strawberry, finding its soft feel to be pleasant and warm. She reached out to grab a ball that she loved to play with her mother together but her swipe pushed it away._

 _Bambietta let out a loud scream. She was always prone to anger when what she wanted slipped through her fingers. She crawled for the ball. "Ball! I want my Ball!" she shouted in anger. She reached out but she felt something around her hand that wasn't the hard plastic ball._

 _The three-year old girl saw swirls of blue and white energy come to her, forming a small object. Bambietta looked at her hand startled. Was this some new trick of her father's? She saw in her tiny hand was an itty-bitty bow. Smiling happily, she pointed it at the ball and fired. The mini arrow hit the toy and sent it rattling around the room. Bambietta laughed happily as she fired at the ball some more, most of her shots missing and hitting the wall. "Ball go boom!"_

 _"Bambi?"_

 _The door opened behind her and Bambietta saw her father standing in the doorway. "Daddy! I make ball go boom!" she said happily, the tiny bow still in her hands before it fizzled out._

 _Her father looked at her stunned before giving her a stunned smile. "My little girl's already a Quincy. His Majesty will be pleased." Bambietta saw her father look back to the living room where her mother was staying before sighing. "I knew this day would come. I just didn't know it'd be so soon."_

 _Picking Bambietta up, her father sat her on the bed while he went to pack a few things for the journey to the Vandenreich…._

 _ **Back to the Present….**_

"After that, my father started to train me on how to be a Quincy. He always told me that when we defeated the Soul Society he'd take me back to Mama so we can be a family again. He said he'd apologize to Mama for taking me away." Bambietta's expression turned sour. "Little good that did him…."

"What happened to your father?"

"He died. Duh."

Ichigo looked at her with concern. It was clear that he was dredging up things that he had no right asking. He knew that he'd touched a nerve and shouldn't pry if she didn't want to answer. But there was one glaring question that he had that couldn't be denied. "Wait, your mom's a Human and your dad's a Quincy, right?"

"Yeah. So?"

"So you're a half-breed?"

Bambietta looked at Ichigo irritated. "So?"

"Um…how did you survive Yhwach's Auswahlen? My dad told me it killed all half-blooded Quincies," he asked.

Bambietta looked at Ichigo and crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing. "His Majesty's Auswahlen was only in the World of the Living. It didn't affect any of us in the Vandenreich." She tilted her head back and stared at Ichigo. "And besides. You're a half-blood Quincy as well. How did you and your sisters survive?"

"I…uh…" Ichigo sat back and thought about it. "Actually, that's a good question. How DID we survive?"

"My point exactly."

Unbeknownst to Ichigo and Bambi, they had an eavesdropper. Ikumi listened in on them from inside the kitchen, understanding the situation a little more than Ichigo would've thought possible. What the Substitute Soul Reaper didn't know was that Ikumi knew that her husband was a Quincy. When they'd first fell in love her husband had been honest and forthcoming about his special abilities and when they'd vanished Ikumi had speculated that the reason why was because Bambietta exhibited those same talents. She may not have understood much else of their conversation, particularly about this "Auswahlen" but she understood the gist of it.

She could also tell that something terrible happened to her daughter. She didn't know what but her Bambi had been hurt. A mother's intuition was never wrong. Still, Ikumi could wait until her daughter opened up. She just wanted to enjoy the moment of having her little girl home again.

Ichigo stood up. "I should go check on your mom. She's probably in shock right now." Bambi watched him leave before looking around, memories of her lost childhood coming back to her. But he saw Ichigo walk back with Ikumi, who had a stern look on her face as she sat a pitcher of tea down on the table along with several glasses.

Sitting back down on the couch, Ikumi looked at Ichigo and narrowed her eyes. "So tell me, Ichigo. How'd you know Bambietta anyway?

"Well, it's like she said," Ichigo said while scratching the back of his head. "A friend of mine called me over and introduced me to Bambietta after she was dropped off at his house and she asked me to escort her home."

The look on Ichigo's face told Ikumi he was telling the truth. Nodding, she grabbed the pitcher of tea and started to pour it into a few glasses. "Okay. But how'd you make it here in the first place? Bambi was three when her father ran off with her and you didn't even know she was my daughter until you showed up on my doorstep?"

"Oh, well you see Bambietta remembered that you used to take her to the park. So we walked through it for a little while until she remembered the way home. I was as shocked as you were when we wound up on your doorstep." He blinked when he saw Ikumi grinning. "Uhhhh…Ikumi?"

"Ichigo, you shameless playboy!" Ikumi teased. "You just met my daughter and you're already walking in the park together? Are you already trying to put the moves on my daughter?"

Ichigo stammered in embarrassment, his face matching his namesake. "What?! Ikumi! You know me better than that! I'd never-"

Bambietta grinned as she put an arm around Ichigo's neck, pulling him into a headlock. "Hah! Please, Mama! He only wishes I was that easy!" she said with a cheeky grin. Despite her occasions where she'd bribed men into her room with the false pretense of needing relief, Bambietta had never actually been to bed with anyone. Having said that, she knew not to try the same thing with Ichigo since her powers had greatly diminished and she'd given her word not to cause trouble.

Ikumi laughed at Ichigo's embarrassment, smiling as he tried to break Bambietta's hold on his head. "That's good to hear. Because if you did touch my daughter, Ichigo…" when Ichigo looked at his boss he saw murder in her eyes, "It'd be the last thing you did…" she threatened.

All Ichigo could do was laugh awkwardly, knowing that Ikumi was dead serious.

Geting out of the chair Ikumi walked over and sat down next to Bambietta. The girl became embarrassed again as Ikumi hugged her, her face one that she hadn't seen in years. Bambietta let go of Ichigo's head as she was fawned over by her mother. "I'm just so happy my sweet little Bambi's home!"

"Hey Mama?" Bambietta asked. "Where am I gonna sleep?"

Letting go of Bambietta and taking off her hat, Ikumi thought about that herself. Kaoru was currently using her room and she didn't have a spare bedroom for her to use. "Hmm…I guess you can spend the night with me tonight. Tomorrow I'll fix up one of the rooms I used for storage so you can have a bedroom."

"Okay." Bambietta got up and headed for the door. "I need to head back to my friend's place to get my things."

"I'll walk her back," Ichigo said, quickly getting up.

"Thank you, Ichigo," Ikumi said. After the two left Ikumi sat back on the couch and cried tears of joy. Her daughter had finally come home….

 _ **The Next Morning….**_ **Unagiya House**

Bambi chomped down on her breakfast. She loved the taste of waffles in the morning.

Ikumi smiled as her daughter ate in front of her. "Geez. I can see that your height isn't the only thing that's grown. Look at that appetite."

The two had shared a silent night together, Bambietta sleeping beside her mother. The Sternritter had tried to get some sleep but her thoughts returned to her undeath and her suffering that she'd endured at Gigi's hands. She woke up feeling her reattached arm trembling. Even now it shook as she tried to steady her fork.

Ikumi noticed her daughter's arm shaking and looked at Bambietta concerned. "Is something wrong?"

Bambi shook her head. "I was…in an accident. My arm got hurt real bad. It's alright, Mama." She noticed her mother looking at the clock and was perplexed. "Something wrong, Mama?"

"Hmm…it's eight o'clock. He should be back by now…."

"Who?"

The door opened up and Bambietta turned to see a boy walk into the house. "Hi, Mama," the little boy said.

Bambietta watched as Ikumi's face lit up and she hurried over to the boy. "Kaoru! How's my little boy? Did you have fun at your sleepover?"

"Uh huh," Kaoru said, clearly embarrassed by his mother's overbearing affection. He blinked when he noticed Bambi setting at the table. "Huh? Mama, who's she?"

"I'll tell you all about it during breakfast. Go get washed up."

Ikumi watched as her second child hurried away before turning to her firstborn and smiled. "I wanted it to be a surprise so I waited before telling you. That is your baby brother, Kaoru."

Bambietta dropped her fork. "No way...I HAVE A LITTLE BROTHER?!" she gaped in a shocked expression.

To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _Chapter Three_

 **Unagiya House**

Bambietta looked at her mother with her mouth gaping, chunks of pancakes falling out of her opened mouth. Ikumi chuckled at her daughter's reaction before walking over to her and tapped her forehead. "Young lady, in this house we chew our food," she gently admonished.

Swallowing, Bambietta wiped her mouth with a napkin before turning back to her mother. "I'm sorry, Mama, it's just…I have a baby brother?"

"Yes. After you and your father left, I was all alone for a few years." Ikumi looked away, the sadness written all over her face. "I swore I'd never marry again but then I met Kaoru's father. After Kaoru was born though, his father died in an accident. It's just been me and him ever since."

Bambietta looked at her mother, not knowing what to say. Her mother was the only person she ever cared about. To hear that she went through such pain and sadness hurt her. "I'm…I'm sorry, Mama."

Sitting in the chair next to her, Ikumi called out for her son. "Kaoru! Come here! I've someone I want you to meet."

Kaoru walked into the dining room and let his mother pick him up and sat him in her lap. Kaoru blushed from his mother's affections as she hugged him before noticing the girl in front of him and saw just how similar he looked to his mother. "Um…Mom? Who is she?" Kaoru asked.

"This is Bambietta," Ikumi introduced. "Bambi's your older sister. She's finally come home to stay with us." She set down Kaoru and got up. "I'll leave you two to get acquainted. I have to move some stuff out of one of the spare rooms to give you a place to sleep tonight, Bambi."

Both Bambietta and Kaoru looked at each other awkward as their mother left the room. Kaoru sat in a chair and stared at his sister, never dreaming that he'd actually get to meet her in the flesh.

' _This is awkward…'_ Bambietta thought, noting how uncharacteristically mild she was acting for the second day in the row. ' _I'm way too used to crazy Quincies and killing Soul Reapers and Arrancars. I don't know how to handle stuff like this. Usually I just blow stuff up.'_ "Um…hi?" she said awkwardly. "So you're my little brother, huh?"

"Yeah. Um…so you're Bambi, huh?" Kaoru awkwardly said. "Mom talks about you a lot."

The two were interrupted when Ikumi arrived. "Aww! You two look so adorable!" she fawned, hugging them both, much to their embarrassment. "Bambi, you need to come with me," she said, getting the keys to her van. "I have to get you registered for school."

Bambietta stared at her mother in shock. "School?! But why?"

"Bambi, you're seventeen years old. You need to go school," Ikumi said adamantly. "I'll have no uneducated daughter in my house."

"But Mama!" Bambietta insisted. Her father may have taught her how to read and write but the Vandenreich didn't exactly have a school while she was growing up. "I-"

"This is not for discussion, young lady!" Ikumi said with her fiery temper. "You're going to school and that's final!"

 _ **The Next Day….**_ **Karakura High School**

' _Must not kill Mama…must not kill Mama…'_ Bambietta thought repeatedly as she stood at the front of the class in her new school uniform. She blushed from the stares of everyone, reminding her of when she first became a Sternritter.

Ochi addressed the class. "Class, as you can see we have a new student. Meet Bambietta Unagiya. Bambietta, there's an open spot right next to Ichigo Kurosaki."

Bambietta quickly made her way over to the empty desk. She noticed how not many people were talking all that much as she passed them by. Sitting down in the desk she turned to Ichigo. "Weird. I thought new kids at school were supposed to be pestered with questions," she said.

Ichigo smiled and shrugged. "Trust me. Our class has gotten used to new students coming in from out of the blue." He looked at his friends who were giving Bambietta concerned looks. He'd told Orihime and Chad about Ikumi's long-lost daughter and they were both cautious of their new classmate. They knew she'd promised Kisuke and Yoruichi that she would be good but they'd also heard how unstable the girl was.

Bambi scanned the room, recognizing several faces from the Vandenreich's Daten on Ichigo. She recognized Tatsuki, Keigo and Mizuiro as well as several others. As she looked around she locked eyes with Uryu Ishida and she gasped in surprise. Kisuke had informed her of Uryu's survival and how he helped take down Yhwach.

Uryu was stunned to see Bambietta before he narrowed his eyes and put a finger to his lips. He hadn't been informed of Bambietta's resurrection so he had a lot of questions. He'd been told by the Schutzstaffel that Bambietta had been killed by the other Sternritter after she'd lost her battle against Captain Komamura. So for her to appear here and now, alive and well, was sheer phenomenal. He saw how friendly she and Ichigo were talking and remembered Bambietta's last name, putting the connection together.

The Quincy had a lot of questions for his former comrade but he would wait. Unlike a certain orange-haired Substitute, he wouldn't rush in and ask.

Ichigo saw Uryu staring at Bambietta and realized he'd forgotten to tell him about Bambietta. He turned back to the girl as Ochi started to begin the lesson. "Just so you know, they won't be asking questions now but they'll probably swarm all over you during lunch," he warned.

Bambietta blinked. "What do you mean?"

 _ **A few hours later….**_

Bambietta figured out exactly what Ichigo meant.

' _Must not kill…must not kill…must not kill…must…not…kill…MUST…NOT… KILL!'_

As soon as the lunch bell rang, the majority of the class surrounded Bambietta and started to pepper her with questions.

"So where are you from, Bambietta?"

"Your hair is so flawless! What's your secret?"

"What school did you go to before you came here?"

"What's your favorite color?"

"What kind of movies do you like?"

And then the questions got…personal….

"Do you have a boyfriend?" one of the boys asked.

"Yes! Tell us!" said another one.

"What are your measurements?" asked another bold boy, making the vein on Bambietta's forehead bulge in frustration.

"More importantly…" came a voice from behind. Bambietta cried out in shock when hands suddenly cupped her breasts. "Are you into boys or girls?" Chizuru demanded to know. "You're just as hot as my Orihime!" She grinned as her hands squeezed Bambietta's boobs. "And a little bigger too!"

Bambietta pushed Chizuru anyway and tried to concentrate but the boys kept asking more and more question. ' _I so want to just turn this place into a morgue! What I wouldn't give to have the Explode back!'_ she thought annoyingly as the frustration and anger boiled inside of her.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Chizuru yelped in surprise when Tatsuki bonked her on the head, hitting the floor. Tatsuki gave the boys an angry look and they took a step back. "Jeez, what's with you guys? Leave the girl alone!" She reached for Bambietta's hand and grabbed it. "C'mon, Bambietta. You can have lunch with me and Orihime."

Bambietta breathed a sigh of relief as she was pulled away, the rage building up inside her calming down. "Thanks," she told Tatsuki.

"Sorry about Chizuru. She gets that way whenever there's a new student who's a girl. I hope this hasn't made you mad at everyone," Tatsuki said.

"Me? Angry?" Bambietta feigned. "Never…."

 _ **Later that day….**_

"Uggghhhh…" Bambietta groaned. "Why didn't anyone tell me school sucks?" She closed her locker and put her bag on her shoulder before sighing. "I never thought I'd miss the Vandenreich more than ever…."

"Long first day?"

Bambietta turned to see Ichigo walking up to her. Sighing, the dark-haired girl nodded. "School was never something we needed to worry about in the Vandenreich…" she sighed. "I almost miss training with Candi and the others. Almost…" she said with a hint of bitterness. She still hated her friends for their cruel betrayal.

Ichigo nodded, knowing that it was never a nice feeling to be the new kid at school, especially for someone who grew up to kill Soul Reapers. He'd sat next to her at lunch and saw how uncomfortable she was talking to her new classmates. He gestured to the door and smiled at his new friend. "Come no. I'll walk you home."

Touched by her friend's gesture, Bambietta followed him out of the school. "Thanks, Ichigo." She was rather perplexed by the boy. She knew from the Daten that Yhwach had on him that Ichigo was a kind spirit but compared to the varied and often crazy members of the Sternritter whom left her feeling jaded Ichigo made her feel warm and okay.

Unbeknownst to Ichigo and Bambietta, their journey together from the school did not pass the student body's notice. As they walked out of the building they were spotted by a schoolgirl and she passed on what she saw. The news passed from one mouth to another until the news came to a certain gang of punks that had a bone to pick with Ichigo….

The two walked on the sidewalk in the direction of Bambi's house. "How come you're coming home with me?" Bambi asked, her eyebrows raising suggestively.

Blushing, Ichigo shook his head. "I've gotta go to work with your mom. I'm her helper, remember?"

"Oh right. I had no idea my mom ran her own oddjobs business. So what's it like to work for my mom?" Bambietta asked.

Ichigo deadpanned. "Your mom is…kind of a slave driver…" he said, remembering all the times he'd been kidnapped when he tried to shirk work. "She's a bit hot-tempered."

Bambietta chuckled, finding it curious that her greatest enemy worked for her mother and that her mother was in charge.

The two walked along silently, enjoying each other's company while they walked back to Ikumi's. Taking a shortcut, Ichigo led Bambietta down to a riverbank. "C'mon," he pointed to the other side of a bridge that the riverbed ran under. "We'll take a set of stairs up on the other side and we'll be at your moms."

"You sure know your way around town, Ichigo."

Ichigo deadpanned. "I have to be. If I don't get to Ikumi's quick enough she'll drag me into her van…." He saw something coming out of the shadow of the bridge and stopped. "Great…more crap I need…."

"What?" Bambietta asked before turning to see what the problem was.

Out of the shadows appeared eight punks, each armed with a nasty weapon; the weapons varied from crowbars to switchblades. The leader of the punks, a guy with piercings that had a gold chain attached to his face, leered at the Soul Reaper and Quincy. "Yo, Kurosaki! Remember me this time?"

Both Ichigo and Bambietta looked at the freak, looked at each other and then back at the punk. "Who the heck is this guy?" they both said in unison.

The punk with the gold chain bristled but kept his cool as he took in the eye candy of Bambietta in her school uniform. "I can obviously see that you don't. But how about I make you a deal, Kurosaki?" he offered with a lecherous grin. Bambietta scowled as the punk licked his lips while ogling her. "I'll forgive you for not remembering my name if you hand us that smoking hot babe next to you, Kurosaki!"

Another of the punks, a thin man with a Mohawk and a crowbar, chirped in. "Yeah! You'd better do as boss says, Kurosaki! That chick's got some serious knockers! And you're outnumbered; so be smart and leave her here with us!" he demanded while staring at Bambietta's chest. Because she'd left a few buttons open on her top, some of her cleavage was exposed.

Again, both Ichigo and Bambietta looked at each other and had the same thought. ' _Are these guys serious?'_ Bambietta was used to being ogled at by the lower members of the Vandenreich but this was a first. Tired of these punks already, Ichigo set down his bag and cracked his knuckles. "Step back, Bambi. These guys will keep me busy for about ten seconds…." He was tired of dealing with punks and didn't want them to be a bother anymore. He took a step forward but was caught off guard when Bambietta put and arm up and stopped him. "Bambietta?"

With a bored expression, Bambietta started to walk to the thugs. "It's alright, Ichigo. I needed relief anyway…"

Ichigo knew that Bambietta could handle the punks. She was Ikumi's daughter after all and her abilities as a Quincy had not diminished at all beyond the loss of her Schrift. Then he realized what Bambietta just said. ' _Wait…what did she mean by "relief"? She's not really serious, is she?'_

All of the punks leered and catcalled at Bambietta as she walked over to them under the bridge. Gold Chain grinned as he stared down at Bambietta. "You made the right choice." He looked back at Ichigo, who was merely standing there with his arms crossed. "You can leave now, Kurosaki. We'll be taking good care of Bambi." He looked back down at Bambietta and grinned. "We heard all about you from our boys who go to your school. Gotta say, you're even hotter than the gossip, babe."

Bambietta just smiled….

Gold Chain got bold and cupped Bambietta's chin with a hand. "Bambi. Quite the name for a beauty like you, _deer._ "

And just like that, the bomb inside Bambietta exploded.

 _ **Nine seconds later….**_

The punks were all lying on the ground like broken ragdolls. The leader was crying like a baby as Bambietta held him up by the gold chain on his face. She brought the assailant close and let him see the evil in her eyes and her wicked smile. "If you ever compare me to a cartoon deer again," she threatened with a smile, "I'll show you what it's like to be hunted like an animal. Got it?" she said sweetly.

Sobbing in pain, Gold Chain nodded. "Yes…yes, ma'am…."

"Good boy…."

Ichigo watched from the sidelines as Bambietta dropped Gold Chain and walked back to him, a bit terrified of the Sternritter. Bambietta smiled at Ichigo as she handed him his bag. "We're done here. Let's go."

Taking hold of his bag, Ichigo merely chuckled nervously before realizing Bambietta was walking away. "I knew you were strong. But damn!" he whistled as he walked past the broken bodies of the punks. Walking up to her, he looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "Should I even ask about that bit where he called you deer?"

Bambietta sighed as she and Ichigo walked towards the sunset, her house in sight.

"It's a long story…."

To be continued


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _Chapter Four_

 _ **One Week Later….**_ **Unagiya House; Bambietta's Room**

"Bambi! Wake up! It's time for school," Ikumi said, flicking on the light to Bambietta's new room. She'd moved a lot of junk out of one of her spare rooms to make a place for Bambietta to call her own. Bambietta was disappointed by the small room at first since she was so used to the wide bedroom back in Silbern but she quickly became used to it. Currently, Bambietta was lying in her small bed, pulling the covers over her head and groaning from being brought out of sleep.

Bambietta kept her eyes closed and pretended to still be asleep, ignoring her mother. She didn't want to have to deal with school; after a week Bambietta wished she could do anything but go to school. She had no idea how Uryu and Ichigo could endure it.

Ikumi huffed as she stood at the foot of Bambietta's bed, her hands on her hips. "Don't try to fake it, young lady! I know you're awake. You're not going to be late for school again. Out of bed, now!" she said with a frown.

Again Bambietta pretended to be asleep. She turned her back towards her mother and started to snore loudly. "Zzzzzz...zzzzz..."

Groaning in frustration, Ikumi got angrier at the minute. She'd no idea that her grown-up daughter could be so hard to handle. "Last chance, young lady. One…"

"Zzzzzz…."

"Two…."

"Zzzzzz..."

"THREE!"

Bambietta let out a yelp as Ikumi grabbed her ankles poking out of the blanket and yanked her out the bed. Landing on the floor, Bambietta glared up at her mother who was smiling down triumphantly. "Grrr…that hurt!"

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead! Now get dressed or you'll be late for school!" Ikumi demanded before storming away, leaving Bambietta to pick herself up off the floor, grumbling as she stripped out of her pajamas and got into her school uniform.

"Stupid Mama…stupid school…" she said as she put on her skirt. "Wish I was back in the Vandenreich…."

 _ **Later….**_ **Karakura High School**

Bambietta sat on the school rooftop and ate her lunch silently. Nearby were Ichigo and Uryu who were talking. From what little she could pick up she could tell they were talking about her. She saw her fellow Quincy glace over to her with a cautious gaze. She couldn't tell what exactly was spoken but it looked like Ichigo was sticking up for her. ' _Hmph…if he knew what I'd done I doubt he'd be sticking up for me…'_ she thought glumly before turning back to her new classmates.

She watched in amazement as Orihime ate her lunch; a concoction of foods that Bambietta never thought about putting together and really didn't want to. Tatsuki, meanwhile, kept running her hand through her hair, complaining that she hadn't been able to properly get it combed before coming to school.

While watching the two talk back and forth, Bambietta had a sudden odd moment. For just a second, it felt like she was back in Silbern, watching her friends Meninas and Candice talk to each other. In fact, Bambietta could've sworn she heard this exact conversation before. In her mind's eye she envisioned Orihime as Meninas and Tatsuki as Candice, replaying a familiar scene out in her head.

" _Geez, Meninas," Candice said, giving a nervous look at what was on Meninas's plate. "Where do you come up with such odd dessert combinations?"_

 _The pink-haired Meninas giggled before putting a bit of apricot-jam covered banana in her mouth. "I love these kind of food combos. The taste is so sweet." She took another bite and smiled. "Mmmhhh…so yummy…."_

 _Giving her fellow Sternritter a questioning gaze, Candice scooted back and focused instead on her meal. "Fine. I still think your taste buds are jacked…." The lime-haired Sternritter looked over at Bambietta. "What do you think Bambietta? Bambietta?"_

"Bambietta?"

The Quincy blinked and was knocked out of her daydream when Tatsuki reached over and shook her. "You okay?" the girl asked. She'd noticed that Bambietta was spacing out.

Caught off guard, Bambietta nodded and blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry, I was just lost in thought." She focused on her own bento box and continued eating, glancing up at the curious Orihime and Tatsuki, who merely shrugged and resumed talking.

A small smile spread across Bambietta's lips as she watched her friends talk before a pang of sadness hit her heart. Closing her eyes, she shuddered at the memory of that fateful day came back to her. She remembered lying in the rubble, smoldering from her defeat as her friends stood over her, promising her aid but planning on her demise.

' _Was I ever their friend?'_ she wondered to herself as she took bite from her bento. She could remember the feel of the knife as it pierced her heart and her friends just watching her being murdered. And now that she thought of it, when the second invasion began her friends had ditched her to fight alone, only to reveal themselves after she'd already been defeated. ' _No…they weren't. We weren't a team. We weren't anything. I was just dumb enough to believe that…'_ she thought bitterly, gripping her chopsticks so hard they snapped.

The two conversing girls heard the snapping of the chopsticks and looked over at Bambietta. "You okay, Bambietta?" Orihime asked, the look on Bambietta's face telling her that the Quincy was upset.

Bambietta took several deep breaths and tried to calm down, her arm shaking all the while from the trauma. "I'm…I'm fine," she said after a moment. "Just had a bad memory, that's all."

Tatsuki frowned. She knew from hanging around Ichigo when someone was carrying a lot of emotional baggage. "If you need to talk, Bambi, you can tell us. We're your friends."

The two dark-haired girls looked at each other, the wind whipping around them as Bambietta stared at the two girls. Despite knowing about Bambietta's past, Orihime still treated her kindly and hadn't brought up her involvement at all in the past week. And Tatsuki had been nicer to her than almost anyone has ever been, barring Ichigo and her mother. Chuckling, Bambietta smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Tatsuki," she said happily.

' _They do remind me of Meninas and Candice…but they're not them. I don't think they even know the meaning of the word betray…'_ she thought happily before turning to Orihime's bento box. "Hey, Orihime? Mind if I try a bite?"

Orihime beamed with joy as she offered her box to her new friend. Bambietta pulled out a second pair of chopsticks she kept and took a bite…before gasping in sheer shock. "Holy crap! This tastes delicious!"

"See?" Orihime giggled, turning to her best friend. "I told you my cooking is good!"

Tatsuki deadpanned. "I don't know. I think you two are just weird when it comes to food…."

 _ **Later….**_ **Unagiya House**

"Ugh, finally!" Bambietta sighed as she sprawled out on the couch, alone in her home. Her brother was out at a friend's house and her mother and Ichigo were off at work, giving her some much needed alone time. Laying her head on the pillow, Bambietta got comfy on the couch before feeling the exhaustion from school take hold of her, falling asleep on the couch….

 _Bambietta looked around, walking down the street while coming back from school like she'd started getting used to. She saw her house in the distance and sighed in relief. School had been hell and she needed to lie down. She moved to go up the stairs when she found something keeping her foot to the ground. She looked down only to gasp in horror._

 _It was her; or rather, it was her former self: the Bambietta who'd been zombified by Giselle. Looking up at Bambietta with lifeless eyes, Zombietta gripped her ankle and kept her put._

 _"NO!" Bamibetta screamed as she kicked at the zombie beneath her. "I'm not you anymore! I'm not dead!" She kicked at Zombietta's head but the lifeless girl wouldn't let go. "Let go!"_

 _Zombietta opened her mouth and gave an incoherent moan as she gripped Bambietta's leg even tighter. Her mouth opened wide and let drool run down her chin._

 _Bambietta continued kicking before she saw that her skin was starting to turn dark red. "No…" she said, her heart slowing to a stop as she became a Zombie again. "Nooooooo_

 _She looked up again and realized she was back in the Soul Society/Vandenreich. Out of panic she gathered the power of The Explode and fired it at Zombietta; her horror became magnified when the explosive orb retreated back into her body. With most of her body zombified all Bamietta could do was stand there as her body expanded until it was on the verge of exploding._

 _A roar made the expanding Bambietta look up. Tears ran down her face when she saw it was Sajin Komamura's unarmored Bankai, lifting its giant sword up to finish Bambietta off._

 _Knowing she was about to die a third and final time, Bambietta called out for the one piece of her shattered existence she still had left before the blade came down on her and her body exploded. "Mamaaaaa!"_

"Bambi!"

The Quincy sat up on the couch and screamed as she woke up. She felt arms wrapped around her and turned her head to see who had the gall before realizing that it was her mother, Ikumi. "Mama?" she mumbled, tears running down her face from the awful nightmare.

Holding her daughter closely, Ikumi patted her head gently, soothingly calming her terrified Bambi down. "It's alright. It was just a bad dream…" she whispered. She'd come in from work to see Bambietta on the couch, the expression on her face telling her that she was having a terrible nightmare.

Clutching her mother, Bambietta took deep breaths and calmed down. ' _I'm alive…I'm not dead and I'm not a zombie,'_ she told herself. "Thanks, Mama…" she said, breaking the hug. "What happened to work with Ichigo?"

Ikumi pointed to the clock and it was then that Bambietta realized how late it was. "We've already got the job over and done. I came home to see how you were doing." She held her daughter close as she wiped away her tears. "I'm here for you, Bambi." Patting Bambietta's head, Ikumi smiled. "Just relax, Bambi.." She got up and headed for the kitchen. "Get washed up for dinner, Bambi. Your brother will be back soon."

"Okay, Mama…" Bambietta said, hopping off the couch. As she entered the bathroom she looked in the mirror and sighed in relief at the sight of her uncorrupted skin and her eyes full of life. She looked down at her hand which started to tremble. Bambietta knew that the ghosts of her past refused to cease haunting her. "I'm alive…" she whispered over and over again.

"I'm alive…."

To be continued


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _Chapter Five_

 _ **A week later….**_ **Kurosaki House; 9:45 AM**

Ichigo stood in the shower and was in the middle of washing his hair, the long week exhausting him. In addition to helping Ikumi with their work and his usual duties as a Substitute Soul Reaper, he found himself pulling double-time in tutoring Bambietta. Apparently math and science weren't taught much in the Vandenreich.

The Sternritter was a mystery to Ichigo. At times she was as nice and calm and in the blink of an eye she could be as volatile as Ikumi, if not more so. When Keigo made a pass at her Ichigo and Tatsuki had to stop her before she caved his skull in. He and Uryu had argued over whether or not she should be dragged to the Soul Society to face her crimes due to her violent nature.

" _I know that this is odd coming from my mouth, Ichigo," Uryu said while they were on the rooftop, Bambietta sitting a ways away eating her lunch with Orihime and Tatsuki, "But she shouldn't be allowed to be free. You haven't seen the things I've seen while I was at the Vandenreich." The Quincy's eyes flickered over to Bambietta and his expression soured. "She's unstable."_

 _"I can see that. But Kisuke-"_

 _"Rarely operates on good judgment," Uryu countered._

 _Ichigo scratched the back of his head. He knew that Uryu was only speaking out of concern and he too had serious doubts about Bambietta as well. "She doesn't have her Schrift anymore, Uryu."_

 _The Quincy crossed his arms. "That doesn't make me feel better. Sure, she's no longer a Sternritter but she still equal to a captain-class Soul Reaper."_

 _Scowling, Ichigo shook his head. "Look, Uryu, I get what you're saying. But everyone deserves a second chance."_

 _Uryu threw his hands up and knew that Ichigo wouldn't budge. "Fine. But when the time comes I'm giving you a very hard "I told you so". She's your boss's daughter so she's your responsibility."_

Ichigo agreed with Uryu that Bambietta was unstable. He banged his head against the wall as he remembered Bambietta beating the hell out of the gang members who'd attacked them under the bridge. Ichigo was pretty positive that had he not been there Bambietta would've killed those punks.

He remembered how fearsome she could be at P.E., where Ichigo would watch her take a volleyball and beat it into a person's face. Ichigo's thought about Bambietta in her gym uniform and how it complimented her…assets. That thought was quickly quashed by a vision of an angry Ikumi.

"Good grief, I've been hanging around Kon too much." Ichigo shivered as he turned off the shower. "I think I saw the one thing that's more terrifying than Ikumi's rage…and it's her daughter's rage!" He dried off and got himself ready for work. He walked into his room and saw the pile of homework he'd yet to do and sighed. Between working for Ikumi, his Soul Reaper duties and tutoring Bambietta he'd barely found the time to do his own homework. "I should charge Ikumi if she's gonna have me keep tutoring her…."

Leaving his home he walked to Ikumi's house. His thoughts once again turned to Bambietta as he walked along. Like he told Uryu, he could tell that Bambietta was violent. The look on her face when she was being harassed by the class on her first day of school told him that were it within her power she'd have slaughtered the whole school. He was positive that she was only restraining her destructive impulses. However, the fact that she was reigning it in told Ichigo that she was trying to adapt to a normal life; he could respect that.

Walking up the stairs he knocked on the door to Ikumi's house. "Ikumi!" he called out. "It's Ichigo!"

The door opened up and there stood Bambietta, wearing a black t-shirt and shorts. She looked at Ichigo with a bored expression before letting him in. "Hi, Ichigo."

As he walked into the living room Bambi plopped down onto the couch and stretched out. Ichigo tried hard not to look at her long, smooth legs. For as crazy as Bambietta was, she was just as lovely to behold.

Ignoring any thoughts that led to the gutter, Ichigo looked around but saw no sign of Ikumi anywhere. "Where's your mom?"

Stretching on the couch, Bambietta yawned before shrugging. "Kaoru came down with a fever. Mama went and took him to the doctor's office earlier. She told me to tell you that she's sorry but there'd be no work for you today until she gets back."

Ichigo sighed before sitting down in a chair. "Any idea when she'd be back?"

Bambietta sat up and shook her head. "Nope. Kaoru looked pretty bad so I don't know when they'll be back."

The Soul Reaper looked at the Sternritter with a curious look. "So what do you think of your little brother?" he asked.

Looking back at Ichigo, Bambietta became uncomfortable. "It was shocking to meet him," she admitted. "I never thought Mama would ever have another kid." She shook her head. "We don't really talk that much. It's really uncomfortable when we're alone. I never know what to say to him," the girl confessed.

Ichigo nodded, understanding her problem. "Have you done anything to get close to him?"

"No." Bambietta stood up. She didn't want to pursue this conversation further and walked to her room. "I'm gonna go into town today. Wanna come?"

"Sure," Ichigo shrugged. If Ikumi was busy then he might as well keep an eye on Bambietta. He did promise Yoruichi and Kisuke to keep a close eye on her.

"Good. One moment." Bambietta emerged from her room a few minutes later, wearing a long-sleeved shirt and some jeans. "Come on. Let's go."

Ichigo deadpanned at Bambietta's pushy nature but followed her out the door regardless. ' _Like mother, like daughter….'_

 _ **Later….**_

The two teens walked down the sidewalk in silence. Bambietta checked out the shops and was amazed at the sights. She was far too used to the shadowy streets and the chilling atmosphere of the Vandenreich. Ichigo was constantly keeping his eye on her, wondering what was going on in that head of hers. "Are you okay?" he asked as she stopped by a shop.

Silence filled the air for a moment before Bambietta turned away, a bored expression on her face. "Yeah. I'm just bored, that's all. I thought that going on a walk would help but I still feel restless." She stopped dead in her tracks when her stomach started to rumble loudly. Her cheeks pinkened from the fact that it was loud enough for Ichigo to hear it. "Sorry, I forgot to eat breakfast what with Mama being so worked up over Kaoru's fever," she said embarrassed.

Hearing Bambietta's growing stomach, Ichigo smiled and pointed to a fast-food restaurant over on the corner. "You want me to get you something?"

"Sure," Bambietta answered. "I'll wait right here."

The boy turned and headed for the place to get food for Bambietta. While she waited, Bambietta peered into a store and looked at one of the items. Seeing it made Bambietta experience a longing feeling.

On the display was a white hat. It was reminiscent to the hat Bambietta wore as a Sternritter. She never told the other members of the Sternritter but she loved her hat. It reminded her so much of her mother's hat. She didn't have much memories of her mother growing up but the one thing she always remembered was the hat her mother left.

Her hand subconsciously went to her head and she felt it touch her bare head. She frowned as she remembered being a little girl and putting on her father's hat, feeling like she'd rekindled the connection to her mother even if it'd been in such a small way. She missed her father's hat now more than ever since she'd lost her purpose. ' _I lost a lot of things. I lost my home. I lost my comrades and king. I lost my life twice. And…I lost my hat….'_

She continued to stare at the hat on the display, unaware of Ichigo walking back to her. He walked up to Bambietta and saw how forlornly she was looking at the hat on the display. "Bambietta?" he called out.

Bambietta snapped back into focus and quickly turned around. "Ichigo! Uhh…sorry about that. I was just spacing out." She gestured to the bag in his hands. "That the food?"

"Yeah. Let's go and sit down." He walked over to a nearby bench that served as a bus stop and sat down. Bambietta sat down next to him. Ichigo reached into the bag and pulled out a hamburger, offering it to Bambietta. The two ate the burgers in the bag in silence for several minutes before Bambietta stood up suddenly.

"I'll be right back. I've gotta use the bathroom." She walked in the direction of the restaurant and left Ichigo momentarily by himself.

Ichigo turned back to the hat shop and saw what Bambietta was looking at. As quickly as he could he entered the shop before Bambietta could return.

The girl was back sooner than Ichigo had thought but he was back on the bench by the time she came back. Bambietta didn't notice the small bag by his side as he stood up. "You ready?"

Bambietta shrugged before walking past him. "Sure. You can take me home. I'm sure Mama will still be taking care of Kaoru."

They walked all the way back to Ikumi's place in silence. Standing at the bottom of the steps, Bambietta turned back to Ichigo. "Thanks, Ichigo. Sorry it was a waste of time."

Ichigo gave her a small smile before holding up the bag. "It wasn't. I got you something. It's a gift for keeping to your promise."

The Sternritter blinked. "A gift?" For me?" She'd never been given a gift before. "Well? What is it?"

"Close your eyes," Ichigo told her as he reached into the bag.

Figuring she'd humor Ichigo, Bambietta closed her eyes and waited. She quickly felt something be placed on her head. Worried that Ichigo was trying to pull something she reached for whatever it was Ichigo had put on her head.

She opened her eyes when she felt what it was. It was a hat; specifically, it was the hat she'd been looking at while waiting for Ichigo. She took off the white hat and looked at it before looking up at Ichigo with a look of shock. "Is this really for me?"

"Yeah." Ichigo gave Bambietta a warm smile. "You might have been my enemy at one point but I don't want you to think we can't be friends now."

Bambietta was touched by Ichigo's words. This was the first time she'd ever been given a gift by a boy. Not even in Silbern had she got anything so sweet! ' _Not that I'd tell him that…'_ Bambietta thought as her cheeks blushed.

Ichigo waited for a response. He got one when Bambietta moved faster than he could blink. His eyes widened when he felt her lips touch his cheek, the Sternritter giving him a huge grin as she pulled away, satisfied at his stunned reaction. "Thanks for the hat!" She turned around and headed up the stairs. "I'll see you at school tomorrow!" she shouted back before heading back inside. Closing the door behind her, she slumped against the door, clutching the hat Ichigo had given her; her heart raced as she still felt his hot skin on her lips.

Standing there dumbstruck, Ichigo reached up and touched his cheek, the warmth of Bambietta's kiss causing his cheek to tingle. Shaking off the shock, Ichigo turned around and decided to head home….

 _ **Later that night….**_

 _Ichigo looked around puzzled. He was standing in the middle of a wrestling circle and wore a wrestler's singlet. "What the hell? Where am I?" he said, the circle surrounded by darkness. From the darkness came a sound that made Ichigo jump._

 _DING!_

 _Arms wrapped around Ichigo and lifted him up. Ichigo yelped as he was slammed to the ground. Quickly recovering, Ichigo rolled over and gaped when he saw who was attacking him. "Bambietta?!"_

 _The girl, wearing a tight-fitting wrestling singlet of her own, grinned as she stretched out her arms. "c'mon, Ichigo. Is that all you can do?"_

 _"Hey!" Ichigo was forced on the defensive as Bambietta tackled him, slamming him back onto his back. "Bambietta! What gives?!"_

 _"This is a match, orange boy!" Bambietta grinned wickedly, the hints of wickedness prominent in her eyes. "C'mon! Fight me!" She grabbed his shoulders and pinned him. But Ichigo decided to fight back and shoved her off of him. He quickly put Bambietta into a headlock, to which the Bambietta grinned. "That's more like it!"_

 _The two grappled on the mat, each vying to overtake the other. Ichigo was surprised by Bambietta's strength before realizing that she was relying on the power of Blut Arterie to enhance her strength. With a grin, Bambietta picked Ichigo up and slammed him back down. Before he could shake her off, the girl straddled his chest. "Hey, that's cheating!" he said when Bambietta grabbed his wrists and laid down on top of him, smothering his face with her chest. Ichigo struggled but found himself unable to breathe, suffocating under Bambietta's breasts._

 _"Ichigo! Wake up!"_

 _Ichigo struggled but found himself unable to break free from Bambietta's grasp, his vision becoming blurry from lack of oxygen._

 _"Ichigo! Wake up, you bastard!_

The lack of air woke Ichigo up and he realized he was being smother with a pillow. "What the?" He reached up and grabbed the soft plushy who was smothering Ichigo with his pillow. "Kon! What the hell?" he shouted, taking the pillow off of his face. He looked over at the clock and saw it was still the middle of the night. Kon slipped from his grip and landed on the bed, looking at Ichigo with an angry expression. "Kon!" Ichigo glared. "You'd better have a damn good reason for giving me a wake up dead wakeup call in the middle of the night!"

The Mod Soul didn't flinch for once as he stared Ichigo down. "I was trying to wake you up for twenty minutes! I tried pummeling your arms, jumping on your chest and when that failed I had no choice but to put a pillow over your face!"

' _So that's what I kept feeling,'_ Ichigo thought. He thought back to his dream before returning to the matter at hand. "That still doesn't explain why I shouldn't rip your stuffing out!"

"Hmph!" Kon scoffed. "You know why! Tell me why you haven't done anything yet!"

Ichigo switched from irritation to confusion. "Done what?"

"Don't act like you don't know!" Kon shrieked, pointing an arm at Ichigo. "Why haven't you asked "Goddess of the Year" Bambietta out yet?" he said, finally getting to the heart of the matter.

Suddenly ripping Kon's stuffing out seemed like a very prosperous idea. "What are you talking about?" Then he realized something. "Wait a minute, how do you even know who Bambietta is anyway?" he asked while picking Kon up by the head.

Kon still continued to glare angrily at him. "You think I like being cooped up in this house? Whenever I get the chance I sneak into your backpack so that I don't have to end up as your sister's doll again!" the Mod Soul said with his arms crossed while his expression turned smug. "Imagine my surprise when I saw that you're actually giving attention to a smoking hot goddess!" All at once, Kon started to cry, an impressive feat for someone trapped in a stuffed animal. "I'm so happy for you, Ichigo! I thought you weren't interested in girls!"

Ichigo started to return to being agitated, He really wanted to smash Kon into the wall right now. That last statement really got his anger burning. "Kon…" he said in a low, menacing voice. "I don't know what you heard from inside my bag but it's not what you think. So do me a favor and _get your mind out of the gutter!"_

Kon didn't believe Ichigo's words. "So you don't think she's hot?" he asked.

The boy thought about it for a minute. "Alright, fine, she's hot but I don't feel the way you're implying about her."

"Don't give me that!" Kon said defiantly, pointing an arm at Ichigo again accusingly. "I saw you staring at her sometimes in class. You can't fool me, you totally want her!"

Wanting to go back to sleep, Ichigo got up. He was glad that it was dark so Kon didn't see his face become red from embarrassment. He knew where the conversation was going but decided to end it here. Keeping Kon safely secured in his grip, he opened up one of his drawers and shoved the Mod Soul into it, locking him inside. "You're imagining things," Ichigo said as he got back into bed.

"Hey! Let me out, Ichigo!" Kon yelled from inside the drawer. "It stinks like old socks in here!"

"We'll finish this later, Kon," Ichigo grumbled as he laid back down. "Just shut up for once and go to sleep." Ichigo closed his eyes and gradually returned to slumber, this time without the threat of being suffocated to interrupt him.

From inside the drawer, Kon merely sighed before settling in for the night. "Fine. Goodnight." He did his best to put up with the smell and went back to sleep.

To be continued


	6. Chapter 6

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with : I don't own Bleach.**

 _Chapter Six_

 _ **Two weeks later….**_ **Unagiya House**

"Done," Bambietta breathed as she closed her workbook, the gift Ichigo had given her on her head. Across the table was Ichigo who was busy with his own homework. He'd continued tutoring Bambietta and now she was at the point where she could figure out complex problems without needing help. "How are you holding up, Ichigo?"

Scribbling away, Ichigo sighed. "Just about done."

The house was empty besides the two of them. Ikumi had given Ichigo the day off so that he could help Bambietta with her homework as well as catch up on his own. She was spending the day shopping for clothes with Kaoru, giving her daughter the day to spend with Ichigo.

Leaning back in her chair, Bambietta looked at Ichigo. Over the past few weeks they'd become good friends, much to the pleasure of her mother. However, as time went by she started to have questions that she wanted answered. Deciding that now was as good a time as any, Bambietta decided to go for it. "Ichigo?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something?"

Looking up from his textbook, Ichigo saw Bambietta looking at him with a concerned look on her face. What is it?"

"Um…how did His Majesty die?"

Ichigo blinked. He felt a chill as he remembered that fateful day. He wasn't eager to recount what'd happened but knew that the girl had a right to know what'd happen to her king. "Well…."

Bambietta sat there and listened to Ichigo as he gave her his recollection of the final day of the invasion. Her jaw dropped when she learned of the final battle with Yhwach and how he'd mercilessly did away with Gerald and Haschwalth. "He…he was going to destroy everything?" she choked when he told her of his last words.

"Yeah," Ichigo nodded. "It didn't make much sense to me. It just sounded like babbling at that point," he admitted while scratching the back of his head.

"Also, I'm a bit confused. You're a Quincy too. How come you didn't use any of your powers?" she asked. "Haschwalth told us that you awakened your Quincy powers after freeing yourself from Quilge's Jail. You said you used the fusion of your Soul Reaper and Hollow powers. Why didn't you use your full powers?" When Ichigo looked at her with a huge question mark above his head, Bambietta facepalmed. "You have no idea how to tap into your Quincy powers, do you?"

"Well…not really," Ichigo confessed. "All of the times I used it, it was subconsciously. Besides, I was training with Squad Zero. How could I learn how to use my Quincy powers from a Soul Reaper?" he pointed out. "Anyway, it's pointless to talk about anyway…."

Bambietta noticed the forlorn look in Ichigo's eyes and frowned. "What is it?"

"Like I told you, Yhwach stole my powers away from me after I gave up." He gave a sad chuckle. "I suppose I should be used to losing my powers by now…."

Rolling her eyes, Bambietta grabbed her textbook and whacked Ichigo upside the head. "For crying out loud! You're not powerless, you dolt!"

"Yow!" Ichigo yelped, nursing the lump on his head. "What was that for?" he demanded before Bambietta grabbed his hand. "What are you doing?"

"Checking something." She slid her hand into Ichigo's and squeezed it. Ichigo blushed from the girl's actions before he saw something on the back of his hand: a red gridlike pattern forming on his skin.

Ichigo gaped. "Wait…that's-"

"Blut Vene," Bambietta said, letting go of Ichigo's hand. "Just like I thought."

Looking down at his hand, Ichigo flexed it and watched the red pattern recede. "But how? I thought…that Yhwach stole my Quincy powers along with my Hollow."

Sitting back down, Bambietta crossed her arms. "Well, you DID kill him, right? All of that stolen power had to return to you." She shrugged as she continued. "Besides, your inner Hollow is your zanpakuto right? You must still have your Hollow powers otherwise you wouldn't have a zanpakuto anymore."

Ichigo stood there stunned, not knowing what to say. "I…well…."

' _Ugh…for all his smarts, sometimes I wonder if he has a brain.'_ "How about I teach you how to use your Quincy powers. Like you said, you can't learn how to use Quincy powers from anyone other than a Quincy."

The Substitute thought about it and decided she had a point. During his training he'd asked Osho about his Quincy abilities but the bald monk had said to focus only on mastering his Hollow and Soul Reaper form. "Okay. Why not?"

Bambietta smiled. "Sounds good to me. Besides, I need to make sure my skills haven't gone rusty." She got up and thought about it. "Hey, do you know somewhere isolated where we can train together?"

Ichigo chuckled. "Isolated, eh?"

 _ **A few minutes later….**_ **Urahara Shop**

The happy shopkeeper greeted his guests as they walked into the shop. "Well hello there, Mr. Kurosaki! Ms. Basterbine! Oops!" he covered his face with his fan and smiled. "I forgot, it's Ms. Unagiya now, right?"

"Hi," Bambietta meekly replied, not sure how to feel about seeing her "savior" after all this time. "Um…where's Yoruichi?"

"She's in the Soul Society catching up with her little brother. So what brings you here?" Kisuke asked.

"More importantly, why am I here?" Uryu asked as he walked in behind him.

Ichigo shrugged. "I figured learning from two Quincies was better than just one. That's why I called you." When Bambietta turned the other way he shot a look at Uryu that said his true intentions. ' _I need you here in case she tries something.'_

Uryu pushed up his glasses and nodded. ' _Gotcha….'_

If he were being honest, Uryu was quite happy that another Quincy besides him still breathed, his father notwithstanding. However, the fact that Bambietta was the only other surviving Sternritter made him unsettled. He hadn't known her for that long and he'd heard very unsettling rumors about The Explode. He wanted to make sure she didn't try to avenge Yhwach by killing Ichigo when nobody was looking.

Kisuke looked from Ichigo to Uryu and narrowed his eyes. "So than, I assume you're wanting the training grounds, gentlemen?'

Bambietta looked around. "Hey wait just a minute. Where's this training ground you promised? What?" she started to laugh. "Don't tell me it's this guy's broom closet?" she giggled.

Smirking behind his fan, Kisuke looked at the Sternritter. "Oh ye of little faith. But before I let you have at it in my basement, I'd like to do a physical exam on you, Bambietta."

The Sternritter paled. "An exam? Why?"

"Well, I'd like to check and see that your body has healed and also take a look and see if there's any problems."

Bambietta was a little apprehensive. Kisuke's exams from when he first resurrected her were very personal and invasive so she was not looking forward to another. However, she wasn't dumb. She'd been brought back to life through very sketchy means and she would like to make sure that her body didn't start to fail her. "Okay…."

"Excellent!" Kisuke cheered. "Ichigo. Uryu. Why don't you head down to the basement while I give Ms. Unagiya her physical?"

Ichigo gave the shopkeeper a weary glance before Bambietta nodded. Gesturing for Uryu to follow him, he went down the hallway and out of sight.

"Now then, Bambietta," Kisuke said while hopping off his stool. "Shall we proceed to the exam room?"

The next minute found Bambietta sitting on a lab table, similar to the one Kisuke used to resurrect her. "Is the hospital gown _really_ necessary?" she barked at the shopkeeper, who was going over his notes.

"What's wrong with playing the part?" Kisuke questioned. "Okay, basically your body is fine. There's no sign of your cells deteriorating. The chemicals I gave you after your revival have purged your system of Gigi's corruptive blood." He put down the clipboard and turned around. "Have you experienced any problems since the last time we met?"

"Well…" Bambietta clutched her arm. "There's been times my arm keeps shaking."

Kisuke narrowed his eyes. He knew that it was Bambietta's right arm that had been cut off and reattached. "I suppose that's only natural. What you're experiencing is phantom limb pain. Only in your case, it revolves around your real arm. I'm afraid it's more of a psychological problem than a medical one."

"I see." Bambietta got up. "Can I go now?"

"Sure. You may get dressed," Kisuke said. "Once you've finished getting dressed I'll let you go train with Ichigo and Uryu."

When Kisuke turned around, Bambietta ripped off the white gown and got dressed. Getting dressed, she turned back to Kisuke. "Okay, be real with me. Do you really have a space big enough to train in with this dinky little shop?"

The gleam in Kisuke's eyes was apparent as he flipped his fan again. "Oh, you'll see…."

 _ **Later….**_ **Underground Training Chamber**

"HOW CAN SOMETHING LIKE THIS EVEN BE POSSIBLE?!" Bambietta screamed as she stood at the base of the ladder, gaping at the wide open space of Kisuke's little training spot. "I knew you were good with your hands but…but…."

Kisuke grinned from ear to ear with joy. He just loved these kinds of reactions. "I'm a man of many things, my dear!" he said, "I simply manipulated some spaces in order to renovate this little spot of land."

Bambietta heard a loud noise and turned her head to see Ichigo and Uryu already going at it. Uryu was zigzagging in the air, shooting potshots at Ichigo. The Substitute had both Zangetsu blades out and batted the arrows away. "Guess I'd better join in," Bambietta grinned. She held out her hand and summoned her sword from concentrated Reishi. Kisuke noted the wide smile on her face as she threw herself into the fray and started to have at it with Ichigo and Uryu.

"Quite scary," Kisuke noted from behind his fan. He saw Uryu back off and let Bambietta fight Ichigo. He noticed how Bambietta looked like she was in jubilation as she and Ichigo went back and forth. "She's quite scary to behold. It's a good thing she no longer has her Schrift."

 _ **A few hours later….**_

The three started to walk towards the exit, tired and exhausted from their sparring. Uryu and Bambietta had spent most of their training trying to drill into Ichigo the basics of using his Blut abilities. Bambietta was not at all surprised by how quickly Ichigo learned how to use Blut Vene; the reason he was the first among the War Potentials was because of his latent abilities. "Wow. I gotta admit, you're impressive, Ichigo," Bambietta admitted as they walked together. "You're even more powerful than when I watched you fight Byakuya Kuchiki."

Ichigo stopped and stared at Bambietta in confusion. "Wait, you were watching? How? You weren't there at the time."

Bambietta poked Ichigo in the shoulder. "Yeah I was. All of the Sternritter were there, watching you battle it out to save Rukia Kuchiki."

The orange-haired substitute just stood there in shock. "How were you watching us? I'd have noticed a whole bunch of Quincies if you were!"

Brushing some dirt off his Quincy attire, Uryu turned his head and explained. "Right. I forgot that you'd arrived late in the second invasion. So it figures you were never told." He gestured to Bambietta. "Bambietta and the rest of Vandenreich existed in the shadow of the Soul Society for a thousand years. That's how they were able to invade the Soul Society. They didn't break in; they were already there in the first place. It's called the Schatten Bereich."

"Exactly," Bambietta continued. "His Majesty ordered us to watch your battle with Byakuya Kuchiki to make sure we were intimate with your strengths and weaknesses."

Scratching the back of his head, Ichigo nodded. It did make sense to him but he had one big question that'd puzzled him for a long time. "Hey, Bambietta?"

"Yeah?"

"During the first invasion, Haschwalth said that Yhwach couldn't operate outside the Vandenreich for long. What did he mean by that?"

"Hmm…how do I put this?" Bambietta bit down on her finger as she tried to sum it up in a way for Ichigo to understand. "His Majesty has to go to sleep when night falls in order to gather the souls of the dead to fuel his body; otherwise he would become unable to move. He sleeps from dusk till dawn and he was vulnerable in the meantime. Your enemy, Souske Aizen, used his powers to make His Majesty think he had more time before he had to return and rest."

"Which begs the question," Uryu interjected, "How exactly did Aizen have access to Kyoka Suigetsu? You said it disappeared after defeating him. So how did he have it in the final battle?"

Ichigo thought about it before finally shrugging in defeat. "Beats me. I don't think we'll ever really know."

They saw Kisuke sitting on a rock near the entrance, scribbling on a clipboard. He looked up as the three teens walked by him. "Ms. Unagiya," he called out while he reached into his pocket. "I've something for you."

The black-haired girl blinked. "What is it?" She suddenly felt another shiver run down her spine. "Not another exam, is it?"

Chuckling, Kisuke shook his head as he tossed something at Bambietta. "Nothing like that. I found this while I was recovering your body in the aftermath of the war. Since you've kept to our bargain I figured you deserved it."

Bambietta caught the object and gasped. She saw that it was a tiny Vandenreich Quincy cross. She held it up and smile. "Thanks," she said. She took off her hat and pined it to the front. "Are you gonna walk me home, Ichigo?" she asked out of curiosity.

"I suppose," Ichigo said. "I don't think Ikumi would appreciate just letting you walk home alone."

The Sternritter grinned. "What? Scared I might get hurt, all by my lonesome?" She gently punched Ichigo's arm. "C'mon, you know better than these two that I can handle myself."

Shaking his head, Ichigo fought back a blush from her warm smile before turning to the ladder. "I'll go use the bathroom and then I'll walk you home."

Bambietta watched Ichigo head up the ladder and was about to head up herself when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Uryu with a sharp glare in his eyes. "Wait a moment. You and I need to talk." The bespectacled Quincy turned to the shopkeeper who was casually looking at them while glancing at his notes. "Kisuke, you mind giving us some space?"

"Of course, Uryu." Kisuke could tell by the look in Uryu's eyes that this was serious so he decided to drop the comedy routine for once and disappeared from sight and leaving the two Quincies alone.

Shaking off his hand, Bambietta crossed her arms and huffed. "What? So what did you want to talk about, Mr. Successor?"

Pushing his glasses up again, Uryu sat down on a rock and his glare intensified. "Don't call me that. You and I both know Yhwach only made me his successor to keep me in a trapped position. I'm asking the questions here." Keeping a hand on his Quincy cross for extra measure, Uryu began to speak. "I want to know how you're still alive. The Schutstafel told me that you'd been killed by the other Sternritter after you lost to Sajin Komamura. Care to explain?"

Clutching her arm, Bambietta shivered from the horrifying memory of her resurrection. "Ask Kisuke. He's the one who brought me back…" she said in an uncharacteristically shy voice.

"Fine. What are your intentions?" Uryu demanded to know. He pointed to the Quincy cross on her hat and his spite became apparent. "Ichigo vouches for you but I don't want there to be any unnecessary danger for my friends. You clearly hold loyalty to the Vandenreich. If you're trying to avenge Yhwach and your fellow Sternritters then let me just tell you that-"

"SHUT UP!" Bambietta screamed at the top of her lungs. If she had the Explode she would've gladly have taken Uryu's head off. "Shut your goddamn mouth! You think I'm loyal to them? After what they did to me?!" she shouted, "Listen! If you think I have some stupid grudge about avenging His Majesty then let me pop your bubble! It never crossed my mind once!" She managed to calm down and shrugged. "In fact, why am I calling him His Majesty anymore after what you guys and Kisuke told me?"

Uryu noticed that Bambietta's arm was shaking and wondered just how much pain on the inside the Sternritter was suffering. "I-"

"No!" Bambietta cut him off, huffing in anger. "Not to mention I lost everything I ever knew with the Vandenreich. Yhwach broke his promise. Silbern is destroyed. The organization I've known since my childhood is gone. And worst of all…worst of all…" Bambietta couldn't fight back the tears any longer as the rage that'd dwelled in her heart since her rebirth came forth like a raging fire, "My friends whom I'd known since I was a little girl betrayed me by letting me be killed right in front of them!" She didn't want to show her tears before Uryu but he needed to see them, needed to see the clear line between them. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Bambietta managed to calm down again before gesturing to her pin. "I wear this because deep down, I'm a Quincy. I'm a Quincy and I'm proud of it. I'll honor what I am in my own way. Not Yhwach's. Not yours or anyone other's."

On the outside Uryu was calm and stoic as usual. On the inside, however, the Quincy was utterly speechless. He'd meant to ascertain if she wanted revenge against him and Ichigo but suddenly he felt like he'd gotten more than what he'd bargained for. He didn't expect it to get so personal. Still, his uneasiness towards Bambietta had been eased by her heartfelt outburst. He knew that Bambietta was the same as Ichigo; they both wore their hearts on their sleeves and left little room for deception.

In all honesty, he had a bit more respect for the E Sternritter now. Hearing her say that she'd honor the Quincy was in her own form made him proud that he wasn't the only one who wanted to keep the honor of being one of the last Quincies to stay alive. ' _What did she mean by Yhwach's promise?'_ he wondered, having as many questions as answers after Bambietta's outburst but decided not to ask. ' _I'll have to ask another day. Preferably one where she doesn't look like she wants to rip my head off.'_

Getting up off the rock, Uryu bowed his head. "I see. I'm sorry for my invasiveness. Thank you for being honest with me," he said before gesturing to the ladder. "We should head on up. Ichigo's waiting."

"Right," Bambietta said. "Thanks for understanding, Ishida."

"One more thing, call me Uryu," the Quincy said as they climbed.

' _I get the feeling I just made a new friend,'_ Bambietta thought as she climbed the ladder. ' _Is he still weary of me or am I imagining things? I thought he'd be the kind of guy who you had to get very close to before he let you call him by his first name.'_

Ichigo was waiting for them in the main shop, buying some candy for his sisters. Uryu curtly left, saying he had to return to his studies and walked off. Stepping out of the shop, the two teens looked at each other before Bambietta noticed the look on Ichigo's face. "What?" she asked out of annoyance.

"Looks like you and Uryu had an interesting talk," Ichigo said smiling. "Did something happen?"

The Quincy gave a small smile before walking back to her house. "We came to an understanding. Just so you know, he's kind of a prick."

"No kidding," Ichigo laughed. Seeing Bambietta smile made him happy. "C'mon. We should get back to your place before your mother drives up and kidnaps me," he said in a voice that said he was hoping for that not to happen.

Bambietta couldn't contain her laughter. "Wow, you're funny, Ichigo. Like Mama would ever do that…" she laughed into the wind.

' _Would she?'_

To be continued

 **A.N.: The Schaten Bereich dialogue was my own theory on that unexplained plot thread. When I came up with it, suddenly it all made sense so maybe I'm right.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20.**

 **Warning: I don't own Bleach.**

 _Chapter Seven_

 _ **Days later….**_

 **Kisuke's underground Training chamber**

' _Two months…'_ Bambietta thought as she dodged Ichigo's Getsuga Tensho. ' _To think it's been two months already.'_

Bambietta jumped from boulder to boulder before lunging at Ichigo, who blocked with his longsword. She kneed him in the stomach only for Ichigo to catch her leg and toss her into the air. Recovering quickly, Bambietta somersaulted and landed on a plateau. The Quincy panted before gripping her sword tighter. Ichigo was by far the most proficient swordsman she'd encountered; most of her fellow Sternritter opted to use bows or other weaponry. Jumping back down, Bambietta hacked and slashed at Ichigo.

The Substitute Soul Reaper noted how deftly the Sternritter moved though it didn't surprise him much since her confession that the Sternritter were all aware of his fighting style. Still, he noted how different Bambietta was when they spared. It was here that Bambietta showed him the person she'd trained to be. Here was where he showed him her skill, her strength and her savagery.

Both fighters clashed over and over again until Ichigo finally drew his shortsword, pushing Bambietta back. He gave off a nameless Getsuga Tensho and fired it at Bambietta again. This time, when the Sternritter dodged it, Ichigo couldn't fight back the blush on his cheeks when he saw a flash of her underwear thanks to her skirt raising from the wind pressure.

Bambietta saw where Ichigo's eyes were and scowled. "Eyes up here, Ichigo!" she heatedly shouted, a little embarrassed at having flashed Ichigo.

"How about you don't wear a skirt next time?" Ichigo suggested as he attacked her, keeping her on the defense with his attacks.

"How about you don't be a pervert?" Bambietta countered. She managed to get a cheap shot in by stepping on his foot, making him recoil backwards and her blade slashed at the boy. He stepped backwards; enough to get out of harm's way but not enough to save his top. The Reishi sword sliced open his top and exposed his naked chest to the girl. This time it was Bambietta who blushed when she saw just how built Ichigo was; it was like somebody carved him out of marble.

Embarrassed, Ichigo called a time out and sheathed his swords. He did his best to close his top to keep himself from showing off his abs to the girl, feeling a little awkward. Turning back, he saw that Bambietta was panting for breath, her face covered in sweat and decided to call it a day. He had a little more still in the tank but he was quite exhausted himself. Uryu had been here earlier but he'd left to go study; apparently becoming a doctor required much more studying that Ichigo thought. By now the Quincy was comfortable with leaving Bambietta alone with Ichigo, confident that she posed no immediate danger.

Sitting down on separate rocks, Ichigo reached into a cooler Yoruichi had provided and tossed Bambietta a bottle of water. Chugging his bottle quickly, Ichigo discarded it before turning to his sparring buddy. "So how have you been adjusting to the past two months?" he asked Bambietta.

Putting down her bottle, Bambietta took off her hat and wiped the sweat from her brow, letting the cold water inside her cool her hot body down. "It's…" she looked up at the fake sky and gave a small smile. "It's actually been going great." She turned back to Ichigo, "To be honest, I didn't expect things to turn out this well in just two months." She turned her head to her bag which held her school uniform. Her mind turned inward towards her new memories of attending school and meeting Ichigo's friends. "Being with everyone, especially Orihime and Tatsuki, felt like I was with true friends." The words made her think of the times she'd spent with Orihime and Tatsuki; she'd spent several weekends shopping with them, going to restaurants with them and was even invited to a slumber party. The memories threatened to make Bambietta tear up and she started to wipe her eyes.

Relieved to hear how well Bambietta's new life was working out made Ichigo smile. Like he said to Uryu, he believed in second chances. "Yeah. Those two are really fond of you. Tatsuki tells me that she can't believe you like Orihime's cooking," he said with a slight chuckle as he remembered Tatsuki telling him of Orihime sharing her lunch with Bambietta.

Bambietta smiled at Ichigo before having a thought. ' _Should I tell him more about me?'_ she wondered. ' _He's helped me since day one but…I don't know….'_ She looked at the ground and thought about it a little more. At the very least, Ichigo deserved to know something about his new classmate. ' _I'll tell him some parts. Not everything, not yet anyway.'_ Focusing her attention back to Ichigo, Babmietta began to speak, "Ichigo…can I tell you about me and my past so-called friends?" she asked, her eyes showing a glimmer of pain.

Ichigo could hear the sadness in Bambietta's voice and frowned. "You don't need to tell me if it's too personal, Bambietta." The young man didn't want to force the girl into anything if she wasn't comfortable.

"No," Bambietta replied while shaking her head. "You're the only one I can talk straight to. I can't talk to Mama about this since she doesn't know anything about the Vandenreich and it'd break her heart and since we're alone, now's the only time I can think of to tell you about me." She was determined to get it off of her chest and she was just comfortable enough with Ichigo to talk about it to him.

"Alright," Ichigo nodded, knowing that this was important to Bambietta.

Sitting back on her rock, Bambietta took a minute to collect her thoughts before putting them to words. Taking a breath, she started, "Well, back in the Vandenreich, I was the head of the elite female Sternritters." Ichigo kept silent as it didn't surprise him all that much which left Bambietta to continue her story. "I had to take charge of things and form a group of female Quincies on my own at the time. I was sick and tired of hearing the male Quincies call us women "weaklings" in comparison to them." Bambietta's jaw clenched and she couldn't help but grind her teeth from the memory of the men looked down at her constantly. "About four years ago, I brought together the few girls that I knew were part of the Vandenreich and brought them together." She shook her head and hugged her arms before going on. "It wasn't easy, convincing them to listen to someone who was younger than them. They wanted proof that I could lead."

Putting her hat on her lap, she looked down at the pin with a sad expression filled with sorrow and pain. "We were all assigned with many tasks together. First there was Candice, the first friend I made in the Vandenreich who was a little older than me. The others were decades older though; they'd learned how to extend their lifespans like the Soul Reapers had." She turned back to Ichigo. "We weren't close at first but after a while we stuck together and became friends with each other…or so I thought…."

Her grip on her hat tightened as she turned away from Ichigo, the hurt in her eyes all the more apparent from the pain she was unlocking from her heart. "We went through so much together for all these years…and what do they do to me?" Her voice suddenly became louder when she finally let it all out. "They betrayed me!" she shouted, looking at the ground so she didn't have to yell directly at Ichigo. "The very people I stuck for all this time stabbed me in the back without a care in the world and turned me into a zombie marionette!" Bambietta leapt off her rock with tears falling down her face, furious as hell. She resummoned her sword and pointed it at the fake sky. "If they were still alive, I'd show them not to ever betray their friends, especially to someone who actually gave a damn about them!" she screamed, her voice echoing across the chamber. "If you four were still alive, I'd show you no mercy! I hate you!"

Listening to Bambietta's story, Ichigo found a new understanding about the Sternritter. He had always considered all of the Sternritter to be inherently evil, what with how they so easily turned on each other, but after listening to how Bambietta brought her friends together he fully understood the gravity of their betrayal. When he heard her say four though, his ears perked up. Feeling the need to ask, Ichigo spoke up. "Hey, Bambietta? Did one of your former pals happen to have lime-green hair?" he inquired.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Bambietta turned back to Ichigo. "Yeah, why?"

Giving the girl a warm smile, Ichigo gave her a full account of his battle with Candice, Meninas, Liltotto and Gigi after he'd returned from the Soul King's palace. He described to her the four he fought, Bambietta naming the other three, and told her of how they threw themselves at him without even realizing who he was.

Hearing what a blunder the three made caused Bambietta to laugh hysterically. "Serves them right, those dumbasses!" she laughed, trying hard not to bust a gut. "Let me guess, Candice got pissed when you ruffled her hair?" When Ichigo nodded she laughed harder. "Ahahahahah!" Calming down, Bambietta dried her eyes with her sleeve and gave him a smile. "Thanks, Ichigo. I needed that."

"You're welcome." He got up and walked over to her. "I know that you've had that weighing heavily on you." He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "C'mon. Why don't we go and see a movie to wind down. It might take your mind off of things."

Bambietta thought about it and nodded. After a hard spar and letting out all of her pent-up emotions she could use the downtime. "Sure." She dispelled her Reishi sword and followed Ichigo up the ladder. Exiting the shop, they headed in the direction of the movie theater. "Hey wait, don't you have work with my mom?" Bambietta asked.

"Ikumi gave me the day off. She's been in a real good mood lately," he replied. He had no doubt that the reason behind her new attitude was the fact that she was so happy to have Bambietta back. "By the way, how's things been with your mom?"

Ichigo noticed how nervous Bambietta became. "Well…she's been asking questions…about my papa." She reached up and touched her pin. "I don't know how to tell her without explaining about the Vandenreich. But now I'm running out of lies."

"Do you think you should tell her the truth?"

Scoffing, Bambietta shook her head. "Yeah, right. If she knew half of what'd happened to me she'd flip out."

Ichigo noticed how she'd once again avoided the subject of her father but decided not to press the issue. They made it to the theater and checked out the posters showcasing the movies. "What do you want to see?" he asked. "I'm up for just about anything." He looked over at one poster which advertised a romance and thought about suggesting it. He was used to going to see romance movies with Yuzu and Karin so he didn't figure it'd be weird of him to suggest it. "How about-"

"Ooh! How about this one?" Bambietta squealed uncharacteristically while pointing at another movie poster. "Let's watch this one!" Ichigo turned to the poster and just stared at the title: _Exploding Penguins 3._ Tugging Ichigo's arm, Bambietta pulled Ichigo into the movie theater. "C'mon! Let's go watch this one!"

Deciding to humor the girl, Ichigo paid for their tickets while Bambietta got a tub of popcorn and some drinks from her allowance that Ikumi gave her. Ichigo wasn't surprised when he saw how empty the theater was but that made Bambietta excited even more, the two sitting down in the middle of the empty theater.

Soon the movie started and Ichigo understood why Bambietta, the Explode, was so interested in this movie. There wasn't much of a story, aside from two armies of sentient penguins' suicide bombing each other.

Hearing giggling, Ichigo turned to see Bambietta failing to suppress the laughter inside her. The Sternritter was taking perverse glee in the carnage, laughing as each poor little penguin detonated, leaving only scorch marks on the ground. "This is awesome!" she laughed uncontrollably. Ichigo became a little disturbed at how Bambietta was enjoying the carnage, the gleam in her eyes showing how much she loved destruction and violence. Soon the girl had to hold onto Ichigo for support before she rolled out of her seat in a fit of insane laughter.

The amount of discomfort Ichigo felt only increased when the girl laid her head on his shoulder, only to feel the soft round boobs pressed into his arm. Blood shot towards his face as he secretly felt how soft her chest was. He was a little disturbed by Bambietta's love of explosions but he put that aside, knowing that Bambietta had done her best to curb her violent tendencies. The two continued to watch the movie like that while sharing a bucket of popcorn.

Unbeknownst to the two, however, they had someone spying on them from the back row. Outfitted with a special Gigai that couldn't be traced spiritually, Yoruichi watched the two enjoy the movie, dressed in a black hoodie. She had decided to secretly tag along on their trip to make sure that Bambietta was adjusting to her new life. But also she was there to take glee in watching Ichigo's expression, knowing that the boy was fighting temptation. Her lips formed a wide smile as Bambietta laughed some more. "You know, in an odd way they make a good couple…."

The movie soon ended shortly afterward. Ichigo and Bambietta got up and left, not noticing their stalker. Exiting the theater, Bambietta wiped the tear from her eye. "Heheh…I needed that. Thanks, Ichigo."

"It was nothing, Bambietta," Ichigo replied. ' _Where the hell do they come up with movies like that?'_ he thought to himself.

Bambietta lightly punched his arm. "C'mon. Just call me Bambi. We're friends, you know?"

Ichigo nodded before looking at the time. "I should probably walk you home," he said when he saw how late it was." He started walking in the direction of Ikumi's house with Bambietta walking alongside him.

"You know, Mama is gonna be a little angry when she finds out you took me out on a date," Bambietta pointed out.

All of Ichigo's embarrassment came rushing back to him. "A date?! This wasn't a-"

Bambietta's laughter cut him off. "Relax, Ichigo, I was just joking." She calmed down and continued walking.

Scratching the back of his head, Ichigo smiled and continued to walk her home. ' _This was a good day. I'm glad to see how wells she's adjusting.'_

 _ **Meanwhile….**_

Orihime walked down the street with a bag full of bread in her hands, having just gotten off work. She hummed a happy tune as she walked, wondering what her new classmate, Bambietta, was up to.

Her question was answer when she turned a corner and saw Ichigo and Bambietta walking by, the two laughing and talking. Orihime smiled by how well Bambietta had become friends with Ichigo. It seemed like they'd become good friends.

The moment she thought that though, a stormcloud began to form in her heart. She saw the smile on Ichigo's face. It was a smile of genuine happiness and was one that he rarely gave her. Despite all they'd been through together, even taking on Yhwach together in the final battle, Ichigo seemed to be happier around Bambietta lately than he did Orihime.

Fighting back tears, Orihime headed home where she needed a much needed cry….

To be continued


	8. Chapter 8

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20.Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _Chapter Eight_

 _ **Later that night….**_ **Ichigo's Room**

Ichigo lay in bed staring at the all. Ever since he came home, his mind had been thinking about the past two months and all that'd happened since Bambietta came into his life and the lives of his friends. He mused about her relationship towards his friends. "She's only been here two months and yet…it kinda feels like she's always been here with how well she's fit in." He started counting off his friends. "Tatsuki's finally found someone to join the dojo. Orihime finally found someone who shares her taste in food combos. "She seems to get along with Chad and Uryu," the latter which surprised him considering how much the spectacled Quincy was on edge when she first arrived.

The day after their first sparring session Ichigo had asked Uryu just what they'd talked about when they were still downstairs. Uryu had been obstinate and didn't budge on the specifics, saying only that the two Quincies had come to a mutual understanding.

Raising his hand up to his face, Ichigo activated his Blut and looked at the red lines on his hand. He'd gotten the hang of using his Quincy Blut abilities thanks to Uryu and Bambietta's instruction. But as the days of training progressed, Ichigo started to question something critical.

At no point in the past two months since the events of the Soul King's palace had he'd been connected to his zanpakuto spirits. Neither his Inner Hollow nor the Old Man had spoken to him. Bambietta had said that he still possessed his Hollowfication and Quincy abilities but what'd become of his zanpakuto spirits since Yhwach stole them away?

"Old Man…Zangetsu…" he whispered. "Where are you?"

His answer came when drowsiness took over. Feeling sleepy, he closed his eyes and let slumber take hold. In the darkness of sleep though, he heard a familiar laughter and opened his eyes.

Sitting up, Ichigo found himself inside his inner world, once again sitting atop the sideways skyscrapers. "I'm here…but that means that-"

Standing up, Ichigo turned around and was elated to see the two figures standing before him. "Zangetsu!" He saw his inner Hollow, the white inner reflection of him, as well as the Old Man standing together before him.

Zangetsu, grinning a wicked grin, smiled as Ichigo neared them. Turning to the Old Man, he started to laugh maniacally. "Ha! See? I told you it was gonna take someone else to figure out he's still got powers!" he said before continuing to laugh.

Keeping his patience, the Old Man, in the image of a younger Yhwach, merely shook his head. "I did say he would figure it out on his own. After all, it did look like we were gone and I was wondering when he'd figure out why he still retained his zanpakuto."

While Ichigo was happy to see the two, he was starting to get a little ticked off. From the sounds of things it looked like the two spirits were betting on him and now he felt like an idiot. "You two…" he bristled in anger.

Ceasing his laughter, the Hollow Zangetsu smirked at his King. "Hey, King! Who would've thought it'd take a woman's touch to get you to realize we were still here?" he said, starting to crack up again.

Glaring at the Hollow, Ichigo crossed his arms. "In case you forgot, neither of you have spoken to me since what happened with Yhwach. How was I supposed I still had my powers after Yhwach stole you two away?"

The Old Man, or Quingetsu as Ichigo had started to refer him as, shook his head much to Ichigo's confusion. "The truth of the matter is far more complicated. You still retain Yhwach's blood, Ichigo. Therefore I will always be with you. And it should go without saying that since Zangetsu is the source of your Soul Reaper powers, he is tied to your soul as well. Yhwach did not steal your powers." Taking off hi sunglasses, his blue eyes stared at Ichigo. "He severed your ties to us."

Ichigo blinked in shock. "He…severed my ties? What do you mean?" he asked, confused now more than ever. "Yhwach said that he-"

His Hollow cut in. "Use that brain of yours, King. If he did absorb your powers with me included, he'd have poisoned himself and died before he had a chance to carry out his so-called plan."

That left Ichigo even more confused so Quingetsu took over the explanation. "Ichigo, as you already know, Hollows and Quincies cannot mix. What I mean by that is because Hollows are by their very nature poisonous to Quincies. Even Yhwach, with all his powers would have died if he tried to take away your powers by absorbing them because you had such a strong link to your Hollow powers." Ichigo listened as he continued. "To answer your question, Ichigo, Yhwach had no choice to but to sever your connections to us with a powerful seal during the final battle. However, he did not count on our powers still being within your Bankai and it matured as the battle progressed."

"Is that why Tensa Zangetsu didn't break so easily like he did before?" Ichigo asked.

Coming back into the conversation, Zangetsu grinned. "You're damn right, King! Besides, what did Yhwach even need your powers for? He was already the Soul King at that point! It took a while, but as soon as your "Queen" touched your hand to see if you still had your Quincy powers it finally gave us our links back."

Ichigo came to a better understanding of his final fight with Yhwach but something his Hollow said caught him offguard. "Wait, what do you mean "Queen", Zangetsu?"

There was a silent pause between him and his hollow until the inverted Ichigo grinned from ear to ear. "Don't play innocent, King. I'm your instincts after all so I know how you wanted your Queen during your explosive movie," he said with an amused expression.

Ichigo's cheeks turned red but he shook his head. "I'll admit things got a little…heated in the theater but that doesn't mean I wanted to kiss her!" he said in his defense.

Putting his sunglasses back on, Quingetsu gave him a small smile. "He never said anything about kissing her, Ichigo. He merely said you wanted her."

"Dammit!" Ichigo shouted, his face turning red.

Quingetsu spoke again. "I have noticed as well that you've been acting differently when you're with her, Ichigo. I also know you've noticed that you've started to see her more than just a new classmate or friend."

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo looked down at the ground. ' _Is that why I can't get her out of my head?'_ He also thought back to the kiss on his cheek Bambietta gave him after giving her the hat and the thought made his cheeks red again. "I…" He didn't know what to say. She was his boss's daughter and a former enemy. He didn't know how to feel about Bambietta after spending so much time together with her. He looked up at Zangetsu and frowned. "You're just as bad as Kon!" he said before turning to the Old Man. "You have any advice, Old Man?"

Before Quingetsu could speak, Zangetsu interrupted. "I know! Next time you're have a little one-on-one sparring session with her, you pin her to the ground and make her your bitch!"

Ichigo facepalmed. "You and Kon would make great friends…."

The voice of reason then gave his own advice. "Ichigo, perhaps you should take her to a part of town and talk things out. Take her somewhere special."

"Like a festival?" Ichigo suggested.

"Precisely," Quingetsu responded with a smile.

"Okay. Thanks you guys," Ichigo said. "I'm gonna rest up and think on this more."

Ichigo faded from his inner world, returning to sleep. Zangetsu turned to his counterpart and frowned. "The hell was wrong with my suggestion?

Quingetsu merely sighed and shook his head….

 _ **Meanwhile….**_ **Unagiya House**

Bambietta walked into the room, her body wet from having just come out of the shower. A towel was wrapped around her naked body, her wet hair cascading down her back. She'd spent the afternoon playing a video game with her brother. She'd found it a good way to bond with Kaoru since they didn't share may hobbies or interests.

Closing the door behind her, she removed her towel and put on some underwear. Sitting down in front of her dresser, she took a brush her mother had given her and started to brush her hair. After a moment she started to get annoyed from how her hairbrush kept getting tangled in her hair. "Damn it! Maybe I should cut some of my hair off?" she pondered. She looked down at the brush and smiled. It was white but it'd been painted over with sloppy pictures of butterflies. Bambietta had painted it with her father and had given it to Ikumi for Mother's Day. When she'd returned home Ikumi had given it back, saying that she'd kept it as a reminder of her little girl.

Her happy recollections were interrupted she heard buzzing next to her. She looked down and saw her cellphone beeping. The phone had been a gift from Kisuke once he saw how well she was settling in. She'd wondered when this thing was made. It looked like something from nineteen ninety. But considering it was a gift, Bambietta didn't care since it let her be in contact with all her new friends.

Flipping it open, the Sternritter saw that it was Orihime who'd texted her. The message asked if Bambietta could meet with Orihime on the school roof tomorrow morning before school started. Bambietta couldn't help but look at the message with her head cocked, a little surprised. "If she's calling me this late and asking to meet in the morning then it must be important." Bambietta texted back that she'd meet her tomorrow, with Orihime texting back "Great!" and a smiley face.

Going to bed, she set her alarm for an hour early so she could meet Orihime, wondering just what it was that the orangette wanted to talk about…..

 _ **The Next Morning….**_ **Karakura High School Rooftop**

The sun was still starting its rise across the sky while Orihime waited on the rooftop, the weight of her impending conversation with Bambietta heavy on her mind. She looked up at the blue sky and wondered just what she could say. Then, she saw something barreling through the sky towards her, landing on the rooftop several feet away. "What's up, Orihime?" Bambietta greeted with a grin.

Orihime, on the other hand, started freaking out. "Bambi?!" Where did you come from and what if someone saw you?!" she said while looking around frantically for anyone who might've seen a girl fall out of the sky.

Grinning at Orihime's embarrassment, Bambietta put her fears to rest. "Don't worry, Orihime," she said, making Orihime look back towards her. "I made sure to look around and scan the area to make sure nobody was nearby. I used Hirenkyaku to launch myself to the roof and here I am," she said with a wide grin, amused by how Orihime thought she'd be so easily caught. "Besides, taking the stairs would've taken forever. This was way faster." Her smile faded when she saw how Orihime was fidgeting and looking nervous. "So what did you want to talk about, Orihime?"

Looking down at the ground, Orihime was silent as she figured out how to put her turmoil to words. "Well…" After another brief period moment of silence she raised her head and in a flash asked the question that had been burned into the back of her head. "Do you have feelings for Ichigo?"

Bambietta took a step back and looked at Orihime with a wild expression. This had caught her off guard big time! The Sternritter's face turn red and she started to uncharacteristically stutter in front of the orangette. "Wh-wh-why would y-you a-ask som-something like tha-that?" she stammered, unable to believe that Orihime was confronting her about this.

The hurt Orihime was feeling was written all over her face. "I saw you with Ichigo yesterday and you two looked very happy together."

Taking a deep breath, Bambietta regained her composure and put her hands up in defense. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Slow your roll, Orihime. We just went to a movie after a spar, that's all. Besides, it's not like there's anything between me and Ichigo," she said in a confident tone. But the words felt hollow and Bambietta knew it. Thinking about the day at the movies made Bambietta's heart start to beat faster. ' _What the hell? Why does my heart feel like its being squeezed?'_

If Bambietta could hear the hollowness of her words, Orihime definitely could. She could see the inner turmoil in Bambietta's eyes and knew she'd been right on the money. "Bambi?" The dark-haired girl came back into focus and looked at Orihime. "I know sometimes I can be a little…spacious, but even I can see you have a crush on Ichigo." Bambietta's cheeks turned pink and looking into the girl's hazel eyes, she knew that Orihime was telling the truth.

' _Is that what I've been feeling all this time? Am I really starting to fall for him?'_ she asked herself, her cheeks a bright shade of pink.

"I think," Orihime started, looking at the ground with misty eyes, "Ichigo is starting to feel the same way about you too." She looked up at Bambietta with eyes filled with sorrow, tears beginning to fall down her face.

Remorse was something that Bambietta didn't feel much of but the hurt on Orihime's face made her feel horrible. She'd known Orihime for only two months but felt like the girl had become a real friend to her. To her, Orihime was as bright as the sun if not brighter. It didn't take a genius to see that the orangette had feelings for Ichigo and had wondered when they'd finally be a couple. But now, seeing her shaking like a leaf while crying her eyes out made Bambietta feel like a horrible person; even worse than Gigi, which was saying a lot.

Looking down on the ground, Orihime sniffled before a new stream of tears ran down her face, trying to cover her despair with her hands. "It's not fair!" she couldn't help but say. It was a horrible thing for Orihime of all people to say but she said it all the same. "I've been with Ichigo a long time and we've been through everything together. I've tried to give Ichigo his true smile back but…but…but I saw that you're already helping him get it back." She took her hands away when she finally managed to quell the waterworks and looked at her new friend with a sad, lonely look. "I guess this means I lost since I wasn't strong enough for him, right?" she finished with a sad smile. Bambietta saw to her dismay that Orihime had defeat inside her eyes.

Bambietta knew she had to calm the girl down before she had a complete and total meltdown. She may have been a sadist but she didn't want to hurt her friends, what little she had left. "Orihime!" she said in a loud voice, snapping Orihime out of her tears. "I never wanted to take Ichigo from you at all! Believe me!" He was just making sure I was getting used to living in this world and…" she paused for a moment, "I…I don't know how Ichigo could actually feel comfortable around someone like me." She sighed and looked at Orihime with a sad look of her own.

Wiping her eyes, Orihime took deep breaths before she spoke. "How could he not?" Bambietta looked at her confused. "Bambi, you're strong. You're confident and really determined. Next to Tatsuki, you're a very special friend to me." Bambietta blushed once more, touched by the teen's words. "I'm just jealous that you have Ichigo's attention and I want more than anything for him to be happy. She stared back at the ground in defeat.

This time Bambietta stepped forward and put her hands on Orihime's shoulders. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" She shook Orihime a little bit. " _YOU'RE_ jealous of _ME?"_ Orihime nodded her head sadly. "Well it's the other way around. I've been jealous of you!" When Orihime's eyes widened she continued, "Orihime, for the past two months since I came back from the dead, you and Tatsuki have been the best of friends to me. Not even my old comrades came close to you two. Don't sell yourself short like that!" she said to the girl with a serious face. She remembered her so-called friends and how they betrayed her. "I…" she knew she was being a little out of character but she needed to get her feelings across. "I wish I had you as a friend before I died. If you want Ichigo, I promise that I won't stand in your way."

"How about I offer a better solution?" came a voice out of nowhere.

The two girls yelped as they received bonks to the head by Yoruichi, who Flashstepped out of nowhere. "Yow!" Bambietta yelped, nursing the lump on her head. "Yoruichi! We were kinda having a private conversation here!" she said.

Sitting on the rail, Yoruichi crossed her arms and shook her head in dismay. "I know, Bambi, but I've been watching your conversation and I don't want either of you beating yourselves up over this. Like Orihime said, it's clear as day that you've developed feelings for Ichigo. So instead of you two beating yourselves up over who deserves Ichigo more, I propose a solution."

Drying her eyes, Orihime looked at her mentor confused. "What solution?"

"Why not have Orihime confess her feelings to Ichigo? If he has any feelings for Bambietta, you'll know. Does that sound fair?" When both girl's looked at each other and nodded, Yoruichi smiled. "Good. Do both of you promise to not hold a grudge?"

The two looked at each other again and shook hands. "I promise," Bambietta said.

"Me too," Orihime replied. "May the best girl win!"

Yoruichi smiled. ' _Looks like things are going to get interesting for Ichigo….'_

To be continued


	9. Chapter 9

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _Chapter Nine_

 _ **Later that night….**_

 **Unagiya House**

Bambietta quietly tiptoed into the living room, hoping that her mother was still up. She was dressed in a simple shirt and short-shorts, something that much irked Ikumi who didn't approve of such skimpy attire. It'd been a rough day to say the least. Though she and Orihime had agreed to remain friends no matter what, she felt horrible at the idea of coming between her and Ichigo.

Entering her home's living room, she saw her mother sitting on the couch, watching television. Calming the butterflies in her stomach, Bambietta walked over to her mother. She wasn't used to going to others for advice. As a Sternritter, she'd simply go with her gut and damn the consequences, using brute force to destroy any obstacle in her way. But here, as a normal high school teenage girl, she was out of her element and needed to go to the one person she still looked towards for guidance: her mother, Ikumi.

Ikumi was dozing off when she heard something sit on the cushion next to her. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she saw her daughter next to her. "Oh, Bambi, what are you doing still up?" she asked. Seeing how nervous her daughter looked, Ikumi pulled her little girl close and hugged Bambi. "Come now, don't be shy. Tell Mama what's the matter."

Even after being at home for two months, Bambietta was still not used to being hugged by her mother. She blushed before speaking her mind, "Well, I've been having some trouble lately and I…don't know what to do."

Looking at her daughter, Ikumi frowned. "It's about a boy, isn't it?" she inquired, her mother's intuition right on point.

Bambietta's blush intensified. "Yes. How'd you know?"

Ikumi smiled tenderly at her daughter and hugged her tighter. "It's always about a boy. I was your age once too, remember?" she said before letting go of her. As Bambietta became comfortable on the couch, curling her knees up to her chest, Ikumi grabbed the remote and muted the TV. "So what's the problem?"

The Unagiya daughter wondered just how much she should tell her mother. She knew that if she admitted to having feelings for Ichigo, Ikumi's employee, her mother would bring the wrath of god down on her friend's head. Deciding to keep it simple, Bambietta started to speak. "Well…there's this boy at school. We've gotten to be good friends," when her mother raised an eyebrow her face turned red. "Just friends! Anyway, my friend likes him too and…."

"I see," Ikumi nodded. "Did you and your friend get into an argument?"

"Yeah," Bambi nodded. "I like him. I really do…but…"she sighed. Feelings weren't something she was used to. She missed the good ole' days when she could just kill to relive her stress. "She liked him first. And she's been through a lot more with him than I have. I feel…" she sighed and looked up at her mother. Ikumi was saddened to see eyes of pain in her daughter's eyes. "I feel like I'm coming between them. We both talked about it and agreed to remain friends but I still don't feel like I deserve him."

"Bambi…" Ikumi reached out for her daughter and hugged her. Leaning back, mother and daughter cuddled on the couch. "You shouldn't be ashamed. I wasn't when I met your father." She ran a hand through her daughter's hair and kissed her forehead. "It's good that you aren't trying to stamp on someone's feelings. But don't forget: you're your own person. You deserve to be happy."

"Deserve…to be happy?" Bambietta repeated, her heart feeling like it was in a vice when her thoughts turned to Ichigo.

 _'Do I deserve to be happy?'_ she couldn't help but ask herself. She'd done terrible things, unspeakable things that Ikumi could never know. She'd killed others and taken great glee in slaying the weak. And she didn't just kill them. She was a butcher, a slaughterer of hundreds. Even her own kin weren't immune to her murderous rampage. She'd served a man who attempted to destroy all three worlds. In the end she'd been cast aside like a broken blade by her king and turned into a marionette by her treacherous friends.

As she lay in her mother's soothing arms, cooing softly from her soft hands, Bambietta couldn't help but ask herself the question again: ' _Do I really deserve to be happy? After all I've done?'_

Not wanting to cause her mother more concern, Bambietta faked a smile and looked up at her mother. "Thanks, Mama."

The look in Ikumi's eyes told Bambietta that she wasn't buying it. But Ikumi held her tongue and decided to let it go for the night. Kissing her daughter's forehead, Ikumi sent her off to bed. Closing the door to her room, Bambietta sighed and collapsed onto her bed, her heart a bubbling cauldron of conflicting emotions. She wished so desperately that she could confess everything to her mother, to let go of her burden and tell her the whole truth. But she knew she couldn't. ' _If I did…would Mama even look at me like her daughter anymore?'_ The thought of Ikumi becoming horrified at what her little girl had become scared Bambietta, even worse than becoming a zombie again. Her thoughts turned to the boy whom she'd become so conflicted towards.

Ichigo had accepted her past and had helped pave the way for her new life. But even though she'd told him a lot about herself, there were still things in her past she didn't dare reveal. ' _If he knew the truth, he wouldn't want to be my friend anymore….'_

 _Bzzzzzz!_

Bambietta saw her phone vibrate and flipped it open, seeing a familiar substitute's name on the message. "Speak of the devil." She opened the message up and saw that it was an invitation to the Obon festival in a few days. She thought it ironic, a Soul Reaper inviting a girl who'd been zombified to a festival celebrating the dead. "Sure," she texted back. "Will see you there!"

After sending the message, she flipped through her contacts until she reached Orihime's number. She texted her the details and waited for a response. A minute later Orihime responded with an affirmative, thanking Bambietta for telling her.

Flipping her phone shut, Bambietta lay back on the bed and fell into a restless sleep….

 _ **A few days later….**_ **Obon Festival**

Ichigo stood underneath the streetlamp, dressed in a festival kimono. He'd let his father take his sisters into the festival while he stayed behind and waited. The boy had a lot on his mind and for good reason. ' _Okay, I'm asking out my boss's daughter. I really need to get a grip.'_ Fighting Hollows was one thing; matters of the heart were a different battle. ' _I have to stop thinking about her as just Ikumi's long-lost daughter. She's more than that. She's…'_ he sighed, unsure of himself. ' _How do I see her? She's aggressive when she wants to be but I've seen a part of her that I don't think she's ever really shown anybody.'_

Hearing footsteps, Ichigo turned around, expecting Bambietta. However, it wasn't Bambi who approached him….

 _ **Five minutes earlier….**_

Dressed in a pink kimono with clouds imprinted on it, Orihime walked down the street to Ichigo's location, butterflies buzzing in her stomach. In her hand was a small bag. She wondered just how she should go about this, determined to finally say to Ichigo what she'd always wanted to tell him. "No regrets," Orihime told herself, "I have to tell him with no regrets." Her face became determined and she picked up stride. "I don't know how he'll respond but I can't look back on this moment and say "I should've done better". I'm gonna give it my all and tell him how I feel."

Continuing to walk, Orihime found the spot where Bambietta told her that Ichigo would be waiting. Taking a deep breath, she walked over towards the boy, whose back was towards her as she neared him. Hearing her footsteps, Ichigo turned around and saw his close friend. Smiling, Ichigo waved at her when he saw her. He may have been expecting Bambietta but that didn't mean he wasn't going to acknowledge one of his friends. "Hey, Orihime," Ichigo greeted. "How's it going?"

"Great," Orihime answered with a smile. She stood next to Ichigo and watched as streams of people made their way to the festival. After a minute of awkward silence she finally spoke. "Hey, Ichigo?"

Seeing the determined look on Orihime's face, Ichigo became concerned. "Is there something wrong?" he asked.

Taking a deep breath, Orihime shook her head. "No. There's just something that I've wanted to tell you for so long." Wondering what was on Orihime's mind, Ichigo leaned forward, his heart thumping with anticipation. "Ichigo, we've been friends for a long time. We've been through so much together." Orihime put her hand to her chest and smiled. "You rescued me from Sora when he became a Hollow. We ventured into the Soul Society to save Rukia. You risked everything to save me when I was kidnapped by Ulquiorra. We even fought Yhwach together. And through it all, Ichigo, I've wanted to tell you something…." Taking another deep breath, Orihime reached out and touched Ichigo with a tender hand.

"I love you."

Shocked. Stunned. Astounded. Flabbergasted. All of these words described Ichigo as he heard what was undoubtedly the most unexpected moment in his life. ' _Orihime…loves…me?'_ he thought as he tried to process what he just heard. Leaning back, he took a deep breath. "I wasn't expecting that," he said as he looked at Orihime, the girl waiting patiently for his answer. Ichigo looked into her hazel eyes while he searched his soul for an answer to her confession. And when he found it, he knew it wasn't the answer Orihime was looking for. ' _We've been friends for the longest time…but…I've always seen her as just…a friend….'_

When Ichigo came to this thought, his expression gave him away. Knowing the answer right in front of her, Orihime turned away, trying but failing to keep the tears from falling. ' _I knew it. I knew how this was going to turn out. And yet…it hurts! It hurts so much!'_ she thought as she cried.

Arms wrapped around Orihime, pulling her towards Ichigo. Holding his friend, Ichigo turned her around and held her close. "Orihime. I'm sorry but…I can't return your feelings."

"Then why are you hugging me?" Orihime sobbed.

"Because even though we can't be more than friends, you still matter to me." When Orihime looked up, he wiped the tears from her eyes, smiling tenderly at her. "Before I became a Soul Reaper you were always trying to help me. You tried to help everyone with your smile. If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead. In this life or the next." He broke the embrace but still kept his hands on her shoulders. "I can't thank you enough for all you've done for me. The last thing I ever want is to see you cry. I hope that you can forgive me for hurting you. I'm sorry, Orihime," he said in a sad, pained voice. He knew that he couldn't sugarcoat it. He'd hurt Orihime badly and he knew he was going to feel regret for making her cry.

When Ichigo took his hands off her shoulders, Orihime wiped her eyes and gave a weak smile. "I know, Ichigo. It hurts more than I thought but I wanted to tell you with no regrets." She knew that her friend had tried to let her down gently and was feeling guilty for not returning her feelings. She could respect that at least. She surprised Ichigo once again by giving him a hurt but warm smile. "Thank you for being you. And telling me the honest truth." She turned around and walked away. When she got twenty feet away she suddenly remembered something and hurried back to Ichigo. Before Ichigo could ask, she handed him the bag she was carrying. "Here! This is for you!" When Ichigo looked inside, he saw freshly baked bread. "You'll need this! Say hi to Bambi for me!" Turning around, she hurried away and left Ichigo standing there mystified by her sudden act.

"Wait…" Ichigo started as he reached into the bag. "How'd she know I was meeting Bambietta?" He grabbed a piece and examined it in the lamplight. When he got a good look he sweatdropped.

Orihime had given him a bag full of cartoon bomb-shaped bread.

 _ **With Orihime….**_

Wiping her eyes, Orihime turned the corner and almost bumped headfirst into Bambietta, dressed in one of her mother's kimonos. "Whoa!" the Sternritter yelped, stopping in her tracks when her friend almost head-butted her. "Orihime?"

"Oh. Hi, Bambi…."

The crestfallen look on Orihime's face told Bambietta everything she needed to know. "It didn't go well, didn't it?" she asked. When Orihime nodded, the guilt inside Bambietta gnawed at her even more than before. Before she could blink, Orihime threw her arms around her and hugged her.

"It's alright," Orihime said, trying to be brave. "I was prepared for this."

Bambietta hugged her back, not sure of what to say. Crying friends was a first to her. Once again, Bambietta's violent disposition worked against her. She didn't know what to say in terms of sympathy or comfort. All she could do was stand there hugging Orihime, patting her head gently. "I'm sorry…" she finally said.

Breaking the hug, Orihime put on another sad smile. "I'm fine. I'll get through this…somehow…." She turned to the corner and pointed. "Ichigo's waiting for you. You shouldn't keep him waiting." She turned back to Bambietta and smiled. "I'll see you later, Bambi."

Standing there in the dark, Bambietta felt cold. When Kisuke had brought her back from the dead she'd made a promise to him that she would change; she'd promised that she'd earn her new life. And yet, right now she felt like she was better off a zombie again. Despite everything she'd hurt someone who truly looked at her as a friend.

A dark whisper echoed through her mind, making her shiver through her kimono. It was a cold, unforgiving voice that followed her wherever she went, no matter how hard she tried to forget it. It was the voice of Zombietta, her former undead self, coming from the depths of Bambietta's soul.

' _You don't deserve to be happy. You shouldn't be alive ….'_

Hanging her head in shame, Bambietta started to walk away from the spot where she'd met Orihime and headed for where she was meeting Ichigo, her arm trembling with every step….

 _ **Meanwhile….**_ **Ishida House**

Unlike the rest of his classmates, Uryu had opted to stay home for the night, finishing his homework. Scribbling away at his desk, he was surprised when he heard the door open up behind him. His surprise was compounded when he turned to see his father, Ryuken, standing in the doorway. "Ryuken?" He knew his father; if he had deigned to show up in person then it was important. He had a feeling why his father was here though but he figured he'd ask anyway. "Why are you here? I was under the impression you were working at the hospital tonight," he questioned.

Closing the door behind him, the elder of the two men pushed his glasses up and looked at his son with a cold stare. "I told the staff at the hospital I'd be out for a few hours. This matter takes precedence." He leaned back against the door while Uryu rose to his feet. "Normally I'd let you handle situations on your own. You're a grown man now and I'm not into the habit of cleaning up your mess. But you've been idle for two months and I'll have no more" Though Ryuken was talking in a calm voice, Uryu could feel the cold steel on his tongue. Uryu knew damn well what this was about. "Though you don't always make the brightest of decisions, you usually act while taking things into consideration. So I'm going to ask this once and I expect a direct answer…." Standing up straight, he walked across the room until he and Uryu stared each other down.

"Why haven't you killed the last remaining Sternritter?"

To be continued

 **A.N.: To answer a few reviews. For all of you hoping Ichigo would share: no, BlueShard20 and I agreed to keep this strictly between Ichigo and Bambietta. We both felt that the love triangle with Orihime needed to be addressed since she is an integral part of Ichigo's life. Kowaba, we both also agreed that the issues with Ichigo's powers needed to be addressed as well. Also, according to the light novel "Can't Fear Your Own World", Ichigo does still possess his powers so it's not that big of a retcon. SomethingAncient, please PM me regarding your reviews since addressing them here would take a lot longer to discuss than I'd like.**

 **TILL NEXT TIME!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with Blueshard20.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 **Chapter Ten**

 **Ishida Residence; Uryu's Room**

The sounds of the nearby festival outside only made the silence inside Uryu's room more intense as father and son stared each other down, the weight of Ryuken's words filling the so-called Last Quincy with dread.

The stare of his father made Uryu feel like he was an insect underneath a magnifying glass. Thinking hard he chose his words as carefully as he could, something that Ryuken noticed and he spoke again. "I have sensed this person's spirit energy for these past two months and I know it was one of the Sternritter. You've been close to it and yet you've failed to deal with it. So I shall ask one last time: why have you not killed it?" he said with cold steel in his voice.

The dark-haired boy pushed his glasses up and returned his father's stare with one of his own before giving the man the answer he wanted, "Because she is a Quincy," he said in a strong, resolute voice. He didn't care for how Ryuken spoke of Bambietta, whom Uryu had grown to like and he wasn't going to let his father command him like a child.

"No, she is Yhwach's last living legacy and carries the blood of a killer," Ryuken replied with a shake of his head. "A reminder of what a Quincy should never become."

Uryu conceded that he didn't know Bambietta's backstory well enough, having only heard of her from his time with the Vandenreich and their last conversation and she did come across as the violent type of person. Having said that, he was starting to notice that she was becoming more and calmer and subdued, normal life allowing her to become less aggressive. His next words were spoken with certain conviction. "You're wrong. She isn't anymore."

"What do you mean anymore?"

"As you've mentioned, I've been near her multiple times and I've made sure to keep a sharp eye on her. She is not as she used to be, as you just described her."

Raising an eyebrow, Ryuken shook his head in disappointment. "It would seem "It" being a woman has made you soft, Uryu." His son was about to go off on how that statement was wrong on so many levels when Ryuken reached into his pocket and tossed his son a bundle of papers. "Once a killer, always a killer."

"What are these?"

"Medical reports. Specifically those pertaining to a gang that Bambietta almost killed and were brought to my hospital," Ryuken explained.

Uryu didn't like where this was heading.

"Normally I don't waste my time with lowlifes. However, the residual Quincy spirit energy that they all had was all the evidence I needed to prove my point. She is as volatile now as she ever was. Shrift or no, a Sternritter will always be a Sternritter.

Uryu would've pointed out that he had been a member of the Sternritters but had a feeling that Ryuken would then point out that he only joined to get revenge on Yhwach and was never loyal. He read the reports and they weren't promising. Many of the gang had debilitating lifelong injuries. ' _This sounds like the gang that tried to ambush Ichigo and Bambi under the bridge.'_ He set the papers down and turned back to his father. "From what I heard, they pretty much asked for it."

"Be that as it may, the facts are clear. "It" is too dangerous to be kept alive. So I'm going to make this very clear so that there's no room for misinterpretation…" he stepped forward until Uryu could see his reflection in his father's glasses. "If you will not kill it," he said in a cold, emotionless tone, "then I will do it for you."

But Uryu would have none of it. "No you will not!" In a flash he summoned his bow, aiming an arrow right at his father's face at point-blank range. "I trust Ichigo's judgement and I trust my own. And it's telling me that Bambietta isn't a threat to us. If you try to kill her, I'll do you in before you get the chance!" All of Uryu's anger towards his father came back to him and he had to resist the compulsion to shoot his father right then and there.

If Ryuken was frightened or even fazed by Uryu's threat he didn't show it. Both he and Uryu stared each other down for a tense minute before the silence was broken by a small beeping. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a pager. "I need to go. I've patients to attend to."

Uryu was simply astounded by how his father simply turned around and walked away, as if the bow pointed at him meant nothing to him. "Get back here!" he demanded. "We are not finished!"

Stopping at the doorframe, Ryuken slightly turned his head to address his angry son. "This discussion "is" finished. I'm your father, Uryu. I know you better than anyone. I know you aren't the type of man to shoot someone with their back turned. Especially at his father."

Uryu gritted his teeth as he dematerialized his bow, knowing that Ryuken was right. "Don't think I won't if you go after her," he warned. Without another word Ryuken exited, leaving Uryu standing alone in his room. "Dammit!" He slammed his hand on the table. "What the hell is he thinking?" He pulled out his phone and wondered if he should let Ichigo and Bambietta know of his father's threat. "What should I do?"

 _ **Meanwhile….**_

 **Obon Festival**

Bambietta couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun. Festivals and celebrations were nonexistent in the Vandenreich so she'd never seen so much excitement and fun. She found it ironic that a Quincy and a Soul Reaper were attending a festival dedicated to the dead but found it to be fun all the same. She and Ichigo ate pork buns while watching a dance troupe dance wildly, exciting the crowd.

While chomping on his pork bun, Ichigo had a curious thought. "Hey, Bambi? Is this your first Obon?" he asked, wondering if she had any early memories of her family; though she'd spoken of life in the Vandenreich, she'd been silent about what little she remembered of her mother and father.

Bambietta gave a somber nod. "Yeah…." She tossed her wrapper aside and gave a slight sigh.

Ichigo watched several people join in on the dancing and had an idea. His heart pounding, he turned and saw the joyous expression on Bambietta's face, his courage failing him. Finally, he mentally slapped himself. ' _What the hell am I so worked up about? I've done the impossible time and time again!_ _I_ _took down a psycho bloodthirsty swordsman, went through millions of sword petals, got knocked around by the Espada and lived, defeated a super charged Aizen, and to top it all off, finally bringing down an ancient Quincy King who could change all forms of the future_.' _'_ Clearing his throat, he nudged her shoulder. "Hey, Bambi?"

The girl turned away and blushed when Ichigo held his hand out. "You want…to dance?"

"Wanna?" he asked with a smile.

Hesitantly, Bambietta put her hand in Ichigo's hand and let him take her out onto the grassy field where people were dancing. Though dancing was something that Bambietta was familiar with, she was a quick learner and kept up with Ichigo, losing herself to the music and the fervor of dancing with her friend.

After a while Ichigo led Bambietta away from the festival towards the mountainside overlooking Karakura Town. The path was illuminated by lanterns leading up it, several people passing them by on their way up. "What's with all the lanterns?" she asked as she walked up the steps.

"There's a lot of shrines on the mountain," Ichigo explained, "so people come here to give offerings."

"You ever come up here?" Bambietta asked out of curiosity.

"Once but…that was for something completely different. My friend Nozomi tried to hide in a Senkaimon here but she got ambushed by the Reigai."

"Right. Kageroza and all that," Bambietta mused. She remembered the briefings about the mad Mod Soul and his invading army; it almost threw a wrench into their plans since if the Soul Society was destroyed so was the Vandenreich. She walked with her hand in Ichigo's and let him lead her into a secluded spot, the view overlooking the town. A tree had fallen over and served as a bench. Sitting down, Ichigo gestured for his new friend to join him. Trying not to dirty the kimono her mother had given her, Bambietta sat down.

Just when Bambietta was about to ask what they were doing out here the sky lit up with color. Bambietta gasped as fireworks filled the night sky, dazzling the Sternritter. Her face lit up at the explosions coloring the sky red, blue, green and purple. Ichigo saw the awed look on Bambietta's face and smiled; to Ichigo it was like she was a little kid.

"So beautiful," she breathed. She was a bit disappointed when it finally ended only to hear a rustling next to her. She saw Ichigo holding two objects, one red and one blue. "What're those?" she asked.

Ichigo handed her the blue one. "Chinese lanterns. Kisuke and Yoruichi made them for us. We make a wish and then send them up. It's…" he chuckled embarrassingly, "it's a thing me and my family have always done for Obon."

Bambietta was touched, knowing that Ichigo was sharing something so intimate with her. They expanded their balloons and lit the candles underneath them. The girl was amused to see that Ichigo's had his combat pass symbol emblazoned on it and hers had the Quincy cross. She felt it start to float but held on to it while she made up her mind about a wish.

Looking at the cross on the balloon, she felt her heart clench. She wanted so much. She wanted to never be separated from her mother again. She wanted to earn Ichigo's trust and respect. She wanted to put her friends' betrayal behind her. She wanted Orihime's forgiveness. But most importantly….

' _I wish that I deserved my new life.'_

Both she and Ichigo let go of their balloons, letting them sail on into the night sky. Bambietta watched them go before her arm started to shake uncontrollably. "Guh…" she groaned, clenching her trembling arm.

The sight of Bambietta in pain and clutching her arm made Ichigo become alarmed. "Bambi! Are you okay?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder to keep her from falling over. Ichigo knew of Bambietta's problem; Kisuke had quietly informed him of it one day shortly after Bambietta became settled in to her new home. "Are you in pain?"

"I…my arm…" she groaned, her trembling growing worse by the second, her eyes squeezing shut as pain flooded her. "I…I…."

Warmth flooded Bambietta and she opened her eyes and realized what the source was. Ichigo wrapped his arms around the girl and held her close, running a hand soothingly through her hair as he tried to calm her down. "It's alright," he said softly. "You're going to be fine, Bambi."

Burying her face in Ichigo's shoulder, Bambietta basked in Ichigo's warmth. The kindness her friend was showing her helped calm her arm. She clutched his kimono and took a deep breath. "Ichigo?"

"Yeah?"

"Why…why are you my friend?"

Ichigo was taken aback but was more prepared to answer her question than Bambietta expected. Tipping her head up, he smiled. "Because you needed one."

Silence filled the mountain as Bambietta stared at Ichigo. ' _Even after all I've done, he still considers me a friend?'_ She felt her face get wet and realized she was crying. "Ichg-Ichigo…" she hiccupped. Wrapping her arms around him, she burying her face in his shoulder again, not caring how uncharacteristic it was of her to start crying her eyes out. "Hold me…."

Ichigo, sensing the pain and turmoil within his friend, willingly obliged. The cool summer air whipped around them as he held her close. As she soaked in the warmth from his embrace, she felt a calm take her and also realized something: her arm's shaking had stopped.

And then she realized something more important: her shaking always ceased when she was around Ichigo.

Drying her eyes, she pulled away and smiled. "Thanks, Ichigo." She looked at the moon and saw how late it was getting. "Let's head home. Mama will kill us both if I show up late."

Nodding, Ichigo followed her down the mountainside, walking alongside her.

"Hey, Ichigo?"

"Yeah?"

"If you tell anyone you saw me crying, I'll punch your lights out."

To be continued


	11. Chapter 11

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. **

_Chapter Eleven_

 **Karakura Town**

The streets were empty as Bambietta walked alongside Ichigo. Behind them were the sounds of the festival that was still alive with activity. After lighting their balloons and partaking of Orihime's cute bomb-bread Ichigo invited Bambietta to come have dinner at his house. Knowing that her mother was probably still out with Kaoru and that she hated heating up leftovers from the fridge Bambietta accepted, the bread doing little to quell her appetite.

But along the way though, Bambietta soon found herself having a bit of a problem. While Bambi was walking she couldn't help but feel that her kimono was starting to get a little tight in the chest and that her boobs were bouncing. ' _Mama said that she wore this when she was my age. So why is it so freaking tight around my chest?! She shouldn't be that different from me!'_

Sweat rolled down Bambietta's back when she felt like her boobs were going to pop out of her top. She gave a quick glance to Ichigo, who thankfully wasn't noticing her dilemma and put a hand over her top to keep her breasts from spilling out. ' _And what's worse I can't stop to readjust my kimono because of this damn wind!'_ she thought as the winds whipped around her and Ichigo. Looking down at her chest she couldn't help but notice that her boobs seemed bigger than usual. ' _I think eating Orihime's food might be making my chest get bigger.'_

Unfortunately for Bambietta, Ichigo happened to notice her struggling with her top and was trying admirably not to stare at her cleavage. ' _Don't stare, Ichigo!'_ he kept telling himself as he led Bambietta along the sidewalk. ' _If she catches you staring at her boobs she'll knock your teeth out!'_

When the Kurosaki clinic came into view both Ichigo and Bambietta let out a sigh of relief. "I don't know how much you know about my family but…my dad can be a bit…" Ichigo thought up the word that best described his father, "crazy."

Bambietta knew all about Isshin Kurosaki but she didn't know what he meant by that statement. She soon learned what he meant as soon as Ichigo opened the door…and suddenly went flying by a dropkick to the face.

Dressed in a festival yukata of his own, Isshin laughed as his son sprawled onto the sidewalk. "Getting slow, aren't you?" he laughed before noticing he had a guest standing in the doorway. "Oh! Hello there," he greeted. "Are you a friend of my son's?" he asked, not recognizing Ichigo's new classmate.

"This is Bambietta," Ichigo introduced after he picked himself up off the ground and came up the step, nursing his sore cheek. "She's Ikumi's daughter and my new classmate."

"Hi," Bambietta replied while shaking Isshin's hand. "Um…do you always kick your son in the face?" she asked out of curiosity. She knew that Isshin was a former Soul Reaper captain but very little in the Vandenreich Daten on him described his parenting.

Ichigo sighed. "All day. Every day."

"Hey! If I didn't sneak attack you then how would you ever be ready for real life?" Isshin retorted.

"What part of kicking me in the face is a part of real life?!"

Bambietta couldn't help but giggle at the argument. ' _A crazy dad, crazy Soul Reaper friends and a crazy boss that's my mom. How did Ichigo not turn out crazy himself?'_ she wondered to herself.

Isshin stepped to the side and allowed Ichigo to enter with his guest. "I'll tell Yuzu we're having company." With that he entered the kitchen to tell his daughter the good news.

Bambietta walked into the living room and saw that it wasn't empty. Karin Kurosaki, wearing a t-shirt and shorts after getting out of her heavy yukata, blinked in surprise when she saw a girl standing next to Ichigo. "Um…hi?" Karin said, a little shocked to see that her brother had brought a girl home with him.

"Karin, this is Bambietta Unagiya. She's my new classmate," Ichigo introduced as Bambietta took a seat in a chair.

Karin gave her guest a small smile before turning to her brother and raising an eyebrow. "Wow, Ichigo. You finally brought a girl home for dinner. And here I thought we'd never see that."

Ichigo scowled. "What about Rukia? Or Nozomi?"

"I mean a girl who's not here to stay with us."

Bambietta saw someone come out of the kitchen and saw that it was Karin's twin sister, Yuzu Kurosaki. "Hi there!" the happy girl beamed. "It's so nice to meet you!"

"Hi," Bambietta said before looking around. "Hey, where's your dad?" Ichigo rolled his eyes and cocked a thumb towards the wall. When Bambietta turned she saw the Kurosaki father crying at a huge poster of Ichigo's' mother, Masaki.

"Oh Masaki! Our son's becoming a man finally! I'm so happy! We finally have a fourth daughter now!"

Bambietta deadpanned. "Wow…you weren't kidding. He is crazy."

"You have no idea…."

 _ **The Next Day….  
**_ **Karakura High School**

The bell rang and ended another day for the teens in the classroom. As Ichigo packed his bag and prepared to head home for the day Uryu walked up behind him. Though it went against his nature to go for help, Uryu knew he had to swallow his pride and tell Ichigo of Ryuken's threat to Bambietta. "Ichigo," he addressed as he stood behind him. Making sure to keep his voice down, Uryu looked at his friend with urgent eyes. "We need to talk."

Ichigo could tell from the seriousness in Uryu's eyes how urgent this was. Looking over to Chad, Orihime and Bambietta, Ichigo nodded and they stood with their backs to them, speaking in a low voice. "What's the matter?"

"My dad is what's the matter," Uryu said, pushing his glasses up. "He came to me last night while you were at the Oban festival. He's…" he gave a glance to Bambietta, who was in the middle of packing her bag. "He threatened to kill Bambietta," he said bluntly.

Ichigo's eyes widened and his heart raced. "What?! Why?"

"Keep your voice down!" the Quincy admonished. "He sees Bambietta as Yhwach's last remaining legacy. He told me that if I do anything to stop her, he would."

Shaking his head, Ichigo merely looked at his friend in disbelief. "But it's been almost three months since Bambietta was brought here!" he insisted, "She hasn't done anything wrong!"

"That's…not quite true," Uryu reluctantly admitted. Reaching into his bag he pulled out the papers Ryuken gave him the night before. "You remember those punks you met with Bambietta under the bridge?"

"Yeah? Why?"

"Take a look?" Uryu said, handing over the papers to Ichigo. When Ichigo read the reports and saw just how bad the punks Bambietta beat the hell out of were in. "I know that they had it coming but Ryuken saw it as evidence of Bambietta's instability."

Looking over the papers Ichigo realized just how bad this looked for Bambietta. "We need to keep an eye on Bambi. And your dad."

"Agreed. I'll keep an eye on Ryuken and alert you if I see him try to pull something. You keep watch over Bambi and…" Uryu saw something in his peripheral vision that made him curse. "Oh no!" When Ichigo turned to see what Uryu was looking at he gasped as well: Bambietta's seat was empty.

"Dammit!" Ichigo cursed, grabbing his bag. "She must've left while we were busy talking."

Both the Soul Reaper and Uryu dashed out of the classroom, ignoring the eyes of their confused classmates. "I'll go find Ryuken! You go find Bambietta!" Uryu said before taking off running. Ichigo went in the opposite way, heading for Ikumi's house and hoping that his friend was safe.

 _ **Meanwhile….**_

Bambietta didn't go straight home after leaving school. She had too much on her mind and wanted to take a nice walk to clear her head. Using Hirenkyaku she journeyed into a forested area, slowly climbing her way up the stone steps along the way slowly.

Sighing, Bambietta looked up at the sky and wondered how Orihime was holding up. She hadn't talked to Orihime since yesterday and Bambietta could see that her friend was still hurt from Ichigo's rejection. Tatsuki questioned her over lunch about it and while she did get angry her anger was more towards Ichigo rather than Bambietta, much to her surprise.

The slow afternoon walk progressed until Bambietta found herself in a cemetery. Bambietta chuckled morbidly. "Looks like no matter where I go, I always find the dead." She walked along the tombstones before soon sensing something coming from one. It felt…familiar.

Walking towards this particular headstone, Bambietta read the righting on the stone and became saddened when she saw whose grave she stood before: Masaki Kurosaki. "Ichigo's mother…." She held out her hand and touched the tombstone, feeling the vestiges of Ichigo's spirit energy. "He must come here often…."

Bambietta knew who Masaki was. The Daten on Ichigo included the detail that Ichigo lost his mother who protected him from a sorry excuse of a hollow at the cost of her own powers. Looking at the grave Bambietta felt the familiar grip of sadness take her heart. "If he didn't take your powers back then, you would still be here."

Though he hadn't mentioned his mother much, Bambietta knew how much it still Ichigo still felt the pain of his mother's loss. IT made Bambietta's hatred for Yhwach grow even more. ' _You liar…'_ she bitterly thought, ' _You take and take. You never considered us children. We were just pawns. You never planned on keeping your promise.'_

The lonely Bambietta looked up at the sky and her mind thought back to the past few months of her new life. Her resurrection and reunion with her mother and brother. Meeting her new friends and enjoying a normal life, free from Yhwach. Meeting Ichigo and spending time with both him and his whacky family. Remembering her crazy meeting with his father made Bambietta giggle, coming to understand how Ichigo struggled to maintain his sanity with such an insane father.

Looking down at the grave, she knew it was pointless but decided to do it anyway. She decided to ask it a question. "Do I…deserve to be a part of this life?" she wondered. "With Ichigo and Mama and everyone else?" She knew that she wasn't going to get any answers…except she got one.

"No. You don't."

Bambietta whirled around to see who it was and saw that the mystery speaker was Ryuken Ishida.

Brown eyes widened in horror when Bambietta saw the silver bow in the man's hands, already drawn back. Before she could get a single word out of her mouth Ryuken fired.

To be continued


	12. Chapter 12

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20. A word of warning before I being this chapter: There is going to be some heavy stuff as I add more to Bambietta's character.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _Chapter Twelve_

 _ **While Ryuken ambushed Bambi….  
**_ **Karakura Town; Unagiya House**

Bambietta was in danger.

Ikumi couldn't explain how but her mother's intuition was never wrong. Sitting at her desk, she had a bad feeling, one which she'd only had once before on the day that Bambietta and her father had vanished from her life. She was no psychic but she felt a dreadful gnawing in her stomach, telling her that her daughter was in danger.

Getting up as fast as she could, Ikumi grabbed her van keys and was out the door, speeding away to find her Bambi, hoping that she was alright. She didn't know what she'd do if she lost her daughter a second time.

 _ **Meanwhile….**_

Ichigo ran through town, looking everywhere for his friend. Uryu had tried to locate her and his father's Soul Ribbon but for some unknown reason he was unable to.

Fear crept into Ichigo's heart, the thought of another friend in grave danger filling him with dread. He ran towards Ikumi's house, hoping to find her there but he saw Ikumi driving away in the distance. His eyes caught the look of panic in the mother's eyes as she sped away and instantly knew that Bambietta was not home. Pulling out his cell phone, he tried for the umpteenth time to call her, hoping to get a response but to no avail. "Dammit!" he shouted before reaching into his bag to pull out something.

Or rather, someone.

"Hey!" Kon shouted in protest as he was yanked out of Ichigo's bag, having snuck inside in order to spy on the girls in Ichigo's class again. "How about some care here, Ichigo?"

Ignoring the protesting Mod Soul, Ichigo gave the toy's neck a hard squeeze. Kon's Soul Candy was coughed up and ejected from his mouth. Grabbing the green pill, Ichigo put it into his mouth and swallowed it, forcing himself out of Human body. Ichigo took to the sky and left Kon standing inside his body. "Kon! Look after my body and head home with it!" he called down before heading off to find Bambietta.

Kon shouted at Ichigo as he sped away. "You better save her, Ichigo!" he shouted, overhearing Bambietta's plight. "I still haven't forgiven you for leaving me in your drawer for a week!"

The Mod Soul inside Ichigo's body watched as the boy flew off to save Bambietta for a moment before turning and walking away. However, he wasn't heading for Ichigo's house.

"While Ichigo's off finding his honey…" he said in a jovial voice, "I'm going to find me some honeys of my own!" Running off with a goofy expression, the Mod Soul headed for a destination where he could peep on some girls….

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Graveyard**

Bambietta ran for her life as she dodged another arrow. Blood dripped down her side as she ran. Only her honed reflexes from sparring with Ichigo and Uryu had spared her a deathblow, her swift agility saving her from being shot in the chest. Instead the arrow had grazed her side, ruining her school uniform. "Dammit! He hit me while my guard was down.

She dashed past rows of graves and used Hirenkyaku to put some distance between her and her attacker. Landing over by a tall tree, she turned around to face her attacker. Whatever this was, she was NOT in the mood for this. "Who the hell are you?" she shouted in anger, a hand going to her bleeding side. She used her Blut Vene to stop the bleeding but it still frightened her that her Blut had been so easily penetrated.

Getting a closer look, Bambietta saw that it was Uryu's father, Ryuken Ishida, who'd attacked her. Lighting another cigarette, Ryuken glanced at Masaki's grave, the grave that Bambietta had visited. His eyes narrowed with venom as he turned back to Bambietta. "How dare you touch her grave with those hands," he said.

"What the hell is your problem, you asshole?!" she shouted in anger. "Why are you attacking me?"

"Ryuken took a moment to look at Masaki's grave again before turning his attention back to Bambietta. "You should have stayed dead in the war with the Soul Reapers," he proclaimed adamantly, his free hand pushing up his glasses in a manner mirroring his son's. "Since my son is incapable of what he should have," he pointed his bow at her and formed another arrow, making Bambietta tense in alertness, "I'll be the one to put you back in your grave."

The Quincy fired again, forcing Bambietta to run away, dashing up the steps. Dodging more steps, she began to get frustrated. "Dammit! I want to fight back! But all these graves make it too hard to maneuver!" She wasn't the kind of girl who preferred open terrain for combat. In the past she'd always used The Explode in order to clear out any obstacles but that was no longer an option.

Reaching the top of the steps she saw a meadow on a nearby hill and sped towards it, hoping to outrun the Quincy. Ryuken watched her flee before giving a small smile. Taking out a small rod, he stabbed it into the ground before following her, the rod glowing white….

Running up the hill, Bambietta stopped for a moment to catch her breath. As much as she didn't want to stop, she didn't quite have the stamina for long chases. She took off her cap and wiped the sweat from her brow, fanning herself with her hat. "Good grief, what the hell does this guy want? Uryu never said his dad wanted to kill me!"

Looking around, however, Bambietta couldn't displace the feeling that something wasn't right. The air in the forest seemed stale, as if the wind had been shut off. She knew that Ryuken was up to something and decided to try to use Hirenkyaku to get out of the forest. She could run to Urahara Shop and get help from Kisuke and Yoruichi. She made it to the edge of the forest…before she slammed face-first into an invisible wall. She put a hand up and touched the wall. The invisible barrier came to life, five pillars of white light surrounding the meadow and forming a dome around it. "This is-"

"Barriere."

Bambietta whirled around, Reishi sword at the ready, to see Ryuken standing nearby, a metal rod embedded in the ground behind him. "I've heard of this but I thought it was a dead art," Bambietta questioned.

"The Ishida family was one of the oldest of Quincy families in the World of the Living. After Yhwach's dregs cowardly fled to the Soul Society, my family archived much of lost lore," Ryuken explained. "Much of what the Vandenreich deemed as obsolete, we've mastered." He gestured to the white barrier surrounding them. "A technique that was originally meant to hide one's presence to keep enemies from finding them in order to maintain stealth and protection. It's meant to keep a single Quincy protected. However," he cocked a thumb to the metal rod behind him. "By sealing my spirit energy into five Seele Schneiders I can expand the barrier in order to ensure that my trap was set."

Bambietta processed Ryuken's words and came to a startling realization: she'd been played. "You lured me here! You meant to chase me away from the graveyard!"

"Yes," Ryuken replied in his cold tone while drawing his silver bow. "I'm putting down Yhwach's last legacy. And also," his mouth spat venom as he continued, "I'm putting The Bloody Butcher back into the grave where she belongs."

The name that Ryuken spat out caused Bambietta's mind to race backwards, to her time as a Sternritter. It was a name that her fellow Quincy had dubbed her behind her back: The Bloody Butcher.

She hesitated for only a second but that second was more than enough for Ryuken as he fired. Blood erupted from Bambietta's lips as Ryuken's arrow impaled in her stomach, punching through her Blut. The girl dropped to her knees in pain, blood spilling from her wound. She stopped the bleeding with Blut Vene but as she looked up she saw Ryuken pull back his bow again.

Bambietta was strong but fear had sapped her of her indomitable strength. She couldn't even grip her sword to defend herself. The fear of death claiming her for a third time made her shake uncontrollably, knowing that this time there would be no return. As Ryuken fired, Bambietta braced herself and her thoughts turned to her family. ' _Mama! Kaoru!'_

When Bambietta didn't feel the pain of an arrow sinking into her chest, she opened an eye and realized that she hadn't been hit. ' _Huh? He missed?'_ She looked up saw that she and Ryuken wasn't the only ones inside Barriere. "Ichigo!"

The Substitute Soul Reaper stood between her and her attacker. Nearby was a giant crack in the barrier, a result of Ichigo forcing his way through before saving Bambietta. He had his short sword in hand and a scowl on his face, both aimed squarely at Ryuken. As the barrier around them shattered to pieces due to the large crack, Ichigo spoke, "Why the hell are you attacking her?" Ichigo demanded.

Recognizing the boy, Ryuken lowered his bow. "I'm doing what needs to be done." His eyes turned to Bambietta who shivered from his venomous gaze. "I'm putting down this monstrosity. It should have died with the rest of its kind."

Ichigo couldn't believe how cold Uryu's father was. And he thought he had daddy issues. But Ichigo could tell that there was more to this than what he already know. Ryuken knew something about Bambietta that he didn't. "Ryuken," he said in a serious tone, "Uryu told me about you giving him the reports of those punks at the bridge. And how you consider Bambi to be Yhwach's last living legacy."

Ryuken pushed up his glasses. "Do you have a point, boy?"

"Yeah, I do!" Ichigo shouted in anger. It was almost enough to make Bambietta jump; she'd never heard him this angry before. "I'm obviously missing something because you clearly think that Bambi's still a killer! Those punks walked right into the beatdown! If Bambietta wanted to kill them, she surely could've done so with ease!" Ichigo pointed out. "And my father told me what Yhwach did to your wife. Bambi has nothing to do with it so don't take your grudge out on her!"

Silence filled the meadow as Ryuken stared Ichigo down for a minute. He held up two fingers. "You're correct on two points," he said calmly. "First, you're quite right about what that gang deserved. They were nothing but degenerates and deserve no sympathy. Second, you're also correct that this girl has nothing to do with my prejudice with Yhwach."

"So then why?" Ichigo asked, more confused than ever. "Why are you so insistent on killing Bambietta? She hasn't hurt anybody!"

The Quincy looked down at the bloodied Bambietta for a moment before looking up at Ichigo. "I find it very hard to believe that this girl has changed at all in such a short amount of time." He looked at Ichigo with an accusing stare. "How about you use the head on your shoulders instead of letting your hormones do your thinking and ponder this: What do you actually know about the girl?" When Ichigo couldn't give a response he continued, "The Ishida's kept constant vigilance over the Vandenreich since my father escaped them. We learned much of the Sternritter, including her…" he stared down at Bambietta, "and her reputation."

Bambietta felt what blood she had left in her freeze. ' _No! He can't know this!'_ Bambietta thought in a panic.

She opened her mouth to speak but Ichigo was faster. "Reputation? What do you mean?"

Ryuken saw the frightened look on Bambietta's face and knew what was making her so scared. "It looks like she told you nothing about herself. Very well then, I'll fill in the blanks."

Strength returned to Bambietta in a flash and she grabbed her sword. Throwing caution to the wind she charged past Ichigo's safety and roared in fury at Ryuken. "SHUT UP!" she screamed at the top of her voice. Ichigo was caught off guard by Bambietta's vengeful charge and tried to stop her but was too late to grab her. Right as Bambietta swung her sword to take Ryuken's head off, he blocked with his bow, the weapon surprisingly resilient to her sword. "You shut the hell up!" she screamed into his face. "Don't you DARE say anything else!"

Bambietta's fury didn't faze Ryuken at all. "I will not be silenced by the likes of you." He stepped back and dodged Bambietta's next slash. He pulled back his bow and fired at Bambietta at point blank range. This time Bambietta managed to block it, the impact making her skid backwards. "Especially from the Bloody Butcher of the Vandenreich."

The wind whipped around the hill as Bambietta froze, her blood turning to ice as Ryuken spilled the beans. She turned to see Ichigo stare at her in confusion and felt ashamed by his questioning glare. She could do nothing but look at the ground in shame.

"Bloody Butcher?" Ichigo repeated, not understanding what this was all about. "What are you talking about? If this is about the Soul Reapers that she's killed-"

"Wrong," Ryuken countered. "Her jovial murdering of the Soul Reapers I can consider a justifiable act of war. A good Soul Reaper," he narrowed his eyes as he stared at the Substitute before him, "is a dead one. That's the mantra all Quincies hold to. However," he turned his gaze back to Bambietta. "From what we learned, this… _thing_ was dubbed as The Bloody Butcher by her own people after she gleefully slaughtered hundreds of her own fellow Quincy for years, way before she went to war with the Soul Society."

The Substitute stood there stunned as he processed what Ryuken told him. He was fully aware that Bambietta acted like a complete psychopath during the war but to murder her own kin? He turned to Bambietta and the look on her face was all he needed to know. "Bambi?' Ichigo called out.

"It's true," Bambietta admitted, her head hanging low as her dark hair billowed in the wind. "He's telling the truth. I killed my fellow Quincy within the Vandenreich." She fell to her knees and felt her eyes begin to mist. Ichigo was her friend and was special to her for all the kindness he'd shown her. Now he was going to see the skeletons she kept in her closet.

Staring at the crying Bambietta, Ichigo knew that there had to be more to this than just Ryuken's rumors. Bambietta was unstable, he could see that better than anyone. But he refused to believe that Bambietta would kill for no reason. He walked over to her and knelt down to her level. "Bambi, why?" he asked in a soft voice, not wanting her to think he was trying to interrogate her. "Why did you kill your fellow Quincy?"

Ryuken spoke before she had the chance. "For fun from what I've heard. She'd lure men to her room for "relief" then butcher them like cattle."

Bambietta gave Ryuken an ugly glare before looking up at Ichigo. "I killed them because it was my orders to do so."

Ichigo blinked. "Orders?"

For a moment Bambietta didn't respond until she looked down at the ground. "Yes. I was called forth to fulfill an assassination job to keep the Vandenreich strong." She looked up to see Ichigo was more confused than ever. "It all started the day I turned thirteen. I was summoned to Yhwach's chambers…"

 _Long ago..._

 _Dressed in the white garb of the Quincy, Bambietta Basterbine neared the throne room of Silbern, her head held high as she walked with a strong aura._

 _She saw the tall and thin Grandmaster of the Sternritter, Haschwalth, standing near the door. The man ushered her in and shut the door. The throne room was cold as Bambietta walked towards the man on the throne. Dressed in a black robe, Yhwach looked at the approaching girl._

 _Bambietta knelt down on one knee before her liege. "You summoned me, Your Majesty?"_

 _The king nodded. "I have. But first, congratulations are in order. You did well to create a squad of female Sternritters. Unity will be what prevails when we go to war. You are to be commended."_

 _"Thank you, Your Majesty," Bambietta responded while still keeping her head bowed. She knew not to raise her head until given permission. She'd seen others blasted to pieces for lesser offences._

 _"Raise your head." When Bambietta complied the king's order, Yhwach continued to speak to the Sternritter. "I have called you here to discuss a task. This shall be between nobody but you, myself and your Grandmaster."_

 _"A task?" Bambietta questioned._

 _"Yes. Conflict," he said while gesturing out the window to the city surrounding them, "whittles away at a kingdom from within, like a parasite. I have chosen you to perform a task meant to quell conflict within my kingdom." Beside him was a stack of papers. Picking them up, he gestured for the girl to approach him. "You are tasked to ellimante those whom the Vandenreich can do without."_

 _Bambietta took the papers from him and looked through them. She saw that it was a huge list of names and faces of men within the Vandenriech. "You want me to kill my fellow Quincy?" she asked, confused by her king's orders._

 _Yhwach sat back in his chair and nodded. "I'm pleased to see that you're not naïve enough to fulfill this without question," he praised. He gestured to the list of names. "My eyes and my ears are everywhere. These are men who would invite strife into my kingdom. You, on the other hand," he gave the girl a rare smile, "are loyal to me and have proven to be due diligent in your missions. That is why I am tasking you with this instead of your compatriots."_

 _Looking down at the list, Bambietta felt uncertain. She'd slayed Hollows before with no trouble but this? He wanted her to kill her own kin? Why? And how?"_

 _Sensing her hesitation, Yhwach decided to explain himself. "This is not murder," he said to the girl. "This is a culling. A purge of the weak. Those who serve us must be strong, intellectual and most importantly loyal." He could see that Bambietta was still hung up on how to kill so many people and decided to give her a hint. He pointed a finger at the girl. "There is something you have that the men on that list will want. Use that to your advantage."_

 _Bambietta's blood became hot when she realized what Yhwach meant: her body. She was to use her feminine wiles to ensnare these men into a bloodbath. As lowbrow as it was, Bambietta could understand the reasoning behind it and nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. I won't fail you," she told her liege, bowing her head._

 _Pleased by Bambietta's loyalty, Yhwach continued. "This is to remain secret. Under no circumstances are you ever to divulge your mission," he threatened with a menacing glare. "Should you succeed," he said as he put a hand on the girl's head in an almost paternal gesture, "I shall grant you the wish that you've wanted most."_

 _A small gasp escaped Bambietta's lips at the prospect of having her most secret desire fulfilled. She knew what she wanted more than anything and if this was what got her wish fulfilled, she'd do it without question. "Yes, Your Majesty."_

 _"You're dismissed, Sternritter Basterbine."_

Back in the present, Bambietta Unagiya looked up at Ichigo with eyes full of shame. "From that day on, I would lure men into my chambers with the promise of giving me relief. I took the lives of countless Quincies in order to keep the Vandenreich strong by purging the weak and the ambitious. At first I hated it," she confessed, "but after I killed so many I began to grow numb. I didn't enjoy it," she said quickly, "I was raised by my father to be a cold-blooded killer and was taught to use whatever means to fulfill my mission. Haschwalth would give me new targets in secret. Eventually word got out how men I lured to my room never came out alive. They suspected that I was a psychopath and began to call me the Bloody Butcher after Candi and the others came in when I cut some punk in half. Now I know why Yhwach chose me to do it." Tears fell from the girl's eyes as she confessed her dark secret to Ichigo.

If Ichigo hated Yhwach before, he outright despised him now. Not for the first time he wished he'd made the insane king suffer more for the sins he'd committed rather than just end him in one slash.

Bambietta looked down at the ground. She pulled her hat down to cover her eyes. "I did what I did because I was loyal to His Majesty. I thought that I could trust my king and that he knew what was best. But after hearing from you about what he did to my fellow Sternritters and what he planned to do to our worlds, I know why he did it…" she cried as she told him her true feelings. "He made me his scapegoat! All to protect his goddamn image! All I ever wanted was to have my wish granted and it was nothing but a joke to him!" She remembered how Yoruichi and Kisuke told her of Yhwach's Auswahlen, how he cut down the Sternritter deemed useless to him. She came to realize that she was never one of Yhwach's precious children. She was merely a tool for him and in turn he turned her into a psychopathic serial killer.

Baring her soul to Ichigo made the dark voice of Zombietta come creeping from the depths of her consciousness, a reminder of her dark sins. " _He knows what you are now. Ichigo knows that deep down, you're a murderer of not only his people but your own. He'll never accept the excuse that you were just following orders. You deserve to die, Bambietta. And you deserve to stay dead."_

The girl snapped out of her depression when she felt warm arms wrap around her. When she looked up at Ichigo she saw eyes, not filled with disgust or hatred, but of comfort and understanding.

Speaking for the first time since Bambietta told her story, Ichigo merely smiled at Bambietta. "Let it go." Bambietta stared in disbelief at Ichio's behavior and warm voice. She couldn't hold itin anymore and buried her face in Ichigo's chest, sobbing into her friend as the pain she'd held for so long came out.

While all of this was going on Ryuken watched and listened while his victim told her story. At first he was ready to simply renounce her as a liar and shifting the blame to Yhwach to score sympathy from Ichigo. But he knew a liar when he saw one and this girl wasn't lying.

When he'd learned of Bambietta's survival he was taken aback by how these teenagers could willingly let a killer walk among them. His confusion and anger grew thanks to his conversation with Uryu. But now, hearing her story and understanding how much she was just as much a pawn of Yhwach's as his son was, led him to understand why Uryu stayed his hand as well. This girl was a killer but it wasn't a reason why he should become one. Feeling ashamed of himself, Ryuken dispelled his bow.

When Bambietta's sobbing subsided Ichigo noticed how she'd gone slack in his arms and found that she'd fallen asleep, her injuries and exhaustion taking its toll. As carefully as he could, Ichigo lifted Bambietta up bridal-style. He had to get her to Orihime before her injuries became worse. Reminded of her injuries, Ichigo turned his head to angrily address Uryu's father but saw him walking away. "Hey!"

Ryuken stopped and turned his head to the side. "I apologize for this misunderstanding. I'll leave before I cause any more harm." And with that, he calmly walked away, clearly a lot on his mind.

Knowing when to pick his battles, Ichigo Flashstepped away from the hill, carrying the sleeping and wounded Bambietta with him.

Ryuken walked down the hill and headed back to the cemetary where his car was parked. He lit another cigarette and sighed ashamedly. "Guess I really messed up, huh?" he mumbled.

"YOU'RE GODDAMN RIGHT, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!"

 _WHAM!_

A metal bat came out of nowhere and smashed into Ryuken's head hard. The doctor stumbeled to the ground and gasped when he saw who his attacker was. He paled when the familiar face of an old classmate greeted his eyes. He had a very bad feeling about what was about to happen next.

Seething with rage only a mother could possess, Ikumi Unagiya glared at her daughter's attacker as she stood over him. Nearby was her van, having followed her intuition to the graveyard. "HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MY BAMBI!" She hefted her bat up and clenched her teeth. "THIS!"

 _WHACK!_

"IS WHAT YOU GET!"

 _CRACK!_

"WHEN YOU TOUCH!

 _SMASH!_

"MY!"

 _THACK!_

 _"_ BAMBI!"

Having sensed his father's spiritual pressure, Uryu hurried into the graveyard only to find his father being beaten senseless by Ikumi. Stunned by the sight, he quickly turned around and walked away, leaving his father to the mother's vengeful rage….

To be continued


	13. Chapter 13

**A.N.: After talking it over with BlueShard20 we decided to add some short comedic segments at the end of the chapters from now on, similar to what my buddy Teloch does in his epic,** _ **Ichigo Awakens.**_ **There's a bunch of scenes that we had to omit or toss out since it didn't really fit the tone of the story but I figured it'd be something new to try. As always please R &R.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _Chapter Thirteen_

 _ **Sometime later…**_

Ryuken opened the one eye he could manage, the room's light making his head spin. He couldn't move his body at all, pain wracking his mind. He slowly recalled what'd happened. His attempted slaying of Bambietta, Ichigo's intervention, her confession to her sins and his subsequent leaving. Suddenly the image of a vehemently pissed off Ikumi Unagiya wielding a metal bat sprang to mind and he shivered.

The man had been so caught up in mulling over Bambietta's confession that he'd had his guard down, thus why his Blut didn't protect him from Ikumi's bat. After the first blow disoriented him he was at the woman's mercy, helpless as she beat him within an inch of his life.

Looking around, Ryuken noticed something odd about the room. ' _Wait a minute…this isn't one of my hospital's rooms. Where the hell am I?'_ he wondered.

His answer came when the door opened up and a small girl in a nurse's outfit walked in. "Oh, good! You're awake! You recovered faster than he thought."

Ryuken opened his mouth but found that it was covered in bandages. Looking down he saw he was in a full-body cast. ' _Oh dear…'_ He looked at the girl for a moment before he recognized her: it was Ichigo's little sister, Yuzu Kurosaki. ' _Wait a minute…if she's here…then that means I'm…oh dear god no…'_

The door opened up again and in walked Isshin Kurosaki, a silly smile on his face when he saw the wounded Ryuken. "Jeez, Ryuken, you sure know how to get under a woman's skin!" he laughed, dismissing his daughter from the room.

' _Someone please kill me…'_

Hearing Ryuken's muffled cries, Isshin walked over to him and gently pulled off the bandage covering his mouth. "Try not ot talk too much. You've got a fractured skull…among other things."

"Why aren't I in my hospital?" Ryuken demanded.

"Well, because then you'd have to explain how you got those injuries. I thought it'd save you the trouble of having to explain how a mother tried to kill you after you tried to kill her daughter."

"You know all that? How?"

"I arrived as soon as I could. Uryu alerted me after he and Ichigo went looking for Bambietta. I stopped her right after you blacked out."

"Heh… Ikumi hits just as hard as I remember…"

Isshin blinked. "Wait a minute. You two know each other? How?"

"We were classmates in high school. Ikumi's always been a wild one."

"Really? How so?"

"She used to be in a biker gang during our senior year. That alone should say enough…" Ryuken muttered.

Dropping the silly smile, Isshin sat down in a chair and scowled at his friend. "Seriously, Ryuken, what were you thinking? Why did you try to kill Bambi?"

Ryuken turned his head and frowned. "I intended on putting an end to Yhwach's last Sternritter." He saw the angry look in his friend's eyes and quickly added, "I decided against it."

The two men stared at each other for a minute before Isshin spoke. "You're lucky that Ichigo didn't kill you. If he'd arrived a second later…" he let the implication linger.

"I see that you've been aware of what she is." Ryuken narrowed his eyes. "You've known she's a Sternritter and let her enter your home?"

Isshin nodded. "Yes. I did. I've known about her for the past few months. I knew that Kisuke was up to something so I asked him. He told me he brought her back to life after he'd found her ruined corpse in the rubble of the Soul Society."

Hearing this made Ryuken go silent. Looking up at the ceiling, Ryuken closed his eye. "Isshin, I stayed my hand because she's as much a victim of Yhwach as much as our wives were. But tell me: why did you let her into your home?" he asked.

"Because I trust Ichigo," the doctor simply replied.

"I see…" Ryuken felt exhaustion come back to him. "I suppose fathers should trust their sons' judgement."

Isshin got up. "Get some rest. As soon as I can I'll call Orihime over to heal you. If I don't, it'd take you months to recover." With that, he left the room, leaving the injured Ryuken to go back to sleep…

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Unagiya House; Bambietta's Room**

The two teens sat on the bed, silence filling the room. In the trash can was Bambietta's blood-stained, ruined school uniform. The dark-haired girl now wore a simple shirt and shorts, her injuries healed. As soon as Ichigo got Bambietta to her home he'd grabbed the phone and called Orihime over. Luckily Ikumi and Kaoru were out so Ichigo didn't have to answer why he was carrying a blood-soaked Bambietta home.

Ichigo was glad that the color was back in Bambietta's face. During the tense wait for Orihime to come, Bambietta had dropped in and out of consciousness. Her Blut Vene had stopped the bleeding but she'd lost a lot of blood. Thankfully, Orihime's healing powers worked wonders and she healed her grievous wounds. Bambietta had awakened to find Orihime and Ichigo's smiling faces hovering over her, glad to see that she was okay.

After Orihime had left, leaving Ichigo alone with their classmate, he sat down next to her and waited.

Bambietta stared down at the floor. She remembered what'd happened at the cemetery and the hill. She'd been so close to death. And while Orihime could have brought her back to life for a third time, she didn't know if what sanity she had left could survive death for a third time.

She remembered the fear. The fear when her so-called friends stood over her after she'd been defeated. She remembered the fear she had when Gigi started to suck out her blood before she broke her neck. And now the fear of being murdered by Uryu's father was now engraved into her mind. Her arm started to shake as she away from her friend, from the person who'd saved her. "Ichigo?"

"Yeah?" Ichigo asked, concerned from the saddened look on her face. His eyes went to her shaking arm. "Are you alright? You're trembling."

"Why did you save me?"

Ichigo looked at her confused. "I'm your friend? Why wouldn't I save you? You were in danger!"

Bambietta shook her head. "Even after what I told you? How can you still call me my friend?"

"Bambi," Ichigo insisted, "Yhwach tricked you."

"Maybe…" Bambietta sighed. "But I'm still a killer. And I still killed tons of your Soul Reaper with no regrets," she added. She looked up at him with fearful eyes. "How could you possibly call me your friend, even after all I've done?"

Ichigo was silent for a moment before he reached out and touched her arm. His warm touch caused Bambietta's shaking to cease. He scooted closer and smiled. "Bambietta, I know that you've done terrible things. I'm not dumb. Kisuke and Yoruichi told me the things you've done. But…" he squeezed her arm gently, "You never chose this life. Your father brought you into the Vandenreich and raised you to play by their rules. How could I judge someone who'd been taken from her home and raised to live a life she didn't choose?" he countered. "I've watched you as we've spent time together, Bambietta. You've had your personal problems. But I can tell that you're trying to be a better person. Not just for your sake but for your mom's and little brother's." He reached up and caressed her cheek. "You're my friend, Bambi."

Tears ran down Bambietta's face. She reached up to touch Ichigo's face, not believing this was real. "Ichigo…"

"Bambi, I-"

"Shut up and kiss me," she said, slowly inching forward.

The teen didn't hesitate. In an instant he'd closed the gap between them and planted a kiss onto her lips. Both of them took leave of their senses as their hearts exploded with passion. When Ichigo pulled away from her lips, she reached for the back of his head and pulled him into another kiss. Their mouths opening up, they quickly added their tongues to the mix. Bambietta melted into Ichigo's mouth, her heart feeling like it was going to explode. She knew now why she'd been so confused about her feelings towards Ichigo, why she was so drawn to him.

She was in love with him.

Ichigo's blood boiled as his tongue entangled with Bambietta's. Like Bambietta he'd come to terms with his emotions and knew that he cared deeply for the girl. His hand traveled up her back, making her spine tingle from his subtle touch. She put her hands on his chest, not to push him away but to touch his toned, muscular body. Finally the need for air became prevalent and they parted, panting heatedly as they looked each other in the eye. His heart pounding in his chest, he gave her another kiss while he reached for Bambietta's shirt…

Then the door opened.

To their undying horror, Ikumi Unagiya stormed into the room, a frantic look on her face. The two quickly unglued their lips and scrambled away from the other but the deed had been uncovered. Ikumi's eyes flashed with anger for a moment as she turned her gaze to Ichigo, who started to feel very frightened. Aizen and Yhwach seemed like nothing compared to an irate Ikumi.

Storming over to the bed, Ikumi reached for Ichigo's collar and yanked him up off the bed. "Out," she simply demanded. "We'll talk about this tomorrow morning." She'd deal with her teenage assistant later but for the moment her daughter was her top priority.

Bambietta gave her friend a glance and nodded, signaling for him to do what her mother said. Saying a quiet goodbye, Ichigo walked out of the room and left the house promptly, leaving Ikumi alone with her daughter.

Ikumi looked at her daughter intently before unceremoniously reaching for Bambietta's shirt and lifted it up. Bambi's cheeks turned cherry red as her mother inspected her stomach, finding no signs of injury. "Mama! What are you doing?!" she shrieked in embarrassment.

"What happened?" Ikumi demanded to know.

"What? I…I don't know what you're-"

Ikumi gave her daughter the angriest glare she'd ever seen. "Don't give me that," she said, her anger returning to her. She walked over to the trashcan and pulled out her ruined uniform. She held it out for her daughter to see. Bambietta, knowing she'd been busted, looked away and was at a loss for words.

Putting the bloodstained uniform back into the trashcan, Ikumi took a deep breath. She was tired. After a day of fear, panic and rage, she didn't need to exhaust herself further by giving into her anger again. She pointed to the living room.

"We're going to have a talk."

 _ **Minutes later…**_

Ikumi pushed a cup of tea into her daughter's hands before she sat down opposite her child. Bambi stared at her cup of tea in discomfort as her mother stared at her intently. Sighing, Ikumi reached out and touched her child's hand. "Bambi…"

"Mama…" Bambi looked up at Ikumi, "What do you know?"

Sitting back in her chair, Ikumi took another deep breath before answering, "I know that Ryuken Ishida tried to kill you. I know that when I ran up the hill to stop him I was repelled by some sort of invisible wall," she started. "And I saw you at the top of the hill, bleeding like a hunted doe while Ryuken tried to kill you."

"Bambietta, no more lying," Ikumi told her daughter with a stern face. "I gave you space because I didn't want to hurt you. I could tell that you've been through a lot when you first showed up on my doorstep with Ichigo. I wanted to show you that you can trust me without fear of having your privacy invaded. But after today I just can't do that. Not after what I heard today." Bambietta paled when she realized that Ikumi had heard her confession. "Tell me, was everything you told him and Ichigo true?"

The girl was silent for a moment, Ikumi giving her all the time she needed to answer her. "Mama…I don't know what to say…"

Ikumi squeezed her daughter's hand gently, not knowing what to say herself. "You've killed people?" she asked gently, not knowing how else to broach the subject. Her heart was on the verge of breaking when Bambietta nodded. "Bambietta, what happened? What did your father do to you?" she asked, on the verge of tears.

Shame brought the young Bambietta to tears herself. As bad as it was that Ichigo knew her bloodied past, the fact that her mother knew made her wish that Ryuken had finished the job. "I...I'm a Quincy," she started.

"I know. Just like your father." When Bambietta looked up, Ikumi smiled. "What? You didn't think I wasn't aware of what your father was? I'm many things, Bambi but dumb isn't one of them. I overheard what you and Ichigo talked about the day you came home. You wnet ot some place called the Vandenreich?"

"Yes. I was a soldier. I was involved in a war against our sworn enemy. I…I did terrible things," her daughter confessed. "I can't go into it. Not yet," she fidgeted in her seat and fiddled with her empty cup of tea. "But Mama…there's something you need to know."

Ikumi got up and walked around the table, sitting down in a chair next to her. She saw the distraught look on her face and put a hand on her daughter's shoulder; she wanted her daughter to know she could trust her. "It's okay, Bambi."

"I died."

The house was filled with the deafening sound of silence as Ikumi stared at her daughter in disbelief, not sure of what she just heard. "You…died?"

Bambietta cried as she nodded. "Uh huh. I was betrayed by my so-called friends. They killed me." She put a hand on her chest and shivered. "They put a knife into me and stabbed me in the heart." Ikumi looked at her daughter in horror. "A friend of Ichigo's found me and brought me back to life." She turned to her mother, the tears unending at this point. "Mama…I'm a bad person," she choked. "I've done terrible things. I…I don't deserve this. You, Kaoru, Ichigo, my school." She turned away as she mimicked the words Zombietta kept whispering into her ear. "I don't deserve to live."

"Yes, you do."

The crying Bambi gasped when her mother threw her arms around her and pulled her into an almost bone-crushing hug. Running her hands through her daughter's hair, Ikumi cried as she held her little girl. "Mama…I…"

"Shhhh…" Ikumi cooed, calming her sobbing daughter. She knew that her daughter had been through something bad but she had no idea it was _this_ bad. Still, Bambietta was her daughter and Ikumi had vowed to help her come hell or high water in whatever form she needed it. "You're not a bad person, Bambi. A bad person wouldn't feel regret. I love you. No matter what."

Bambietta buried her face in her mother's chest and cried. "I…I love you too, Mama…"

After a few more minutes of crying, Ikumi finally broke the embrace with her daughter. "Feel better?" she asked.

"A little," Bambietta replied while drying her eyes. "I'm sorry for not telling you. I didn't know how."

"It doesn't matter what happened in the past," Ikumi said soflty, lifting her child's head up so they could see eye-to-eye. "You don't have to be ashamed to tell me anything. I want you to know that I'm here for you." She didn't like the fact that her daughter was a killer but the red, puffy eyes of her daughter told her that she was regretful for her actions. "I'm always here for you."

Bambietta hugged her mother. "Thanks," she muttered, feeling tired after everything that'd happened today. "I'm going to go lie down," she said as she got up.

"Okay. I'll call for you when dinner is ready," Ikumi said. "Oh, and Bambi?" she called out to her daughter as she got up.

"Yes, Mama?"

"No boys in your room. Ever," she said with a look that brokered no argument.

Gulping nervously, Bambietta nodded and went to back into her room.

Ikumi pulled out her phone and went through her contacts until she reached Ichigo's number. In a minute she'd sent him a text. " _Come to work at eight o'clock sharp!"_

She smiled when Ichigo texted back an affirmative and put her phone away. An evil grin spread across her face. Ichigo was going to learn the price for kissing her daughter. She was going to work him harder than ever now.

To be continued

 _ **Bambietta's Life as a Schoolgirl  
**_ **The Need for a Tutor**

Bambietta stood in front of her door, terrified. In her hands was the test that she'd gotten back earlier. On it was a big F circled in red.

"Okay…" Bambi breathed, trying to calm her racing heart. "I just started school so I'm sure Mama will understand. And I'm a Sternritter. I can take anything." Reassuring herself, she opened the door and headed inside. "I'm home!"

Ichigo, who'd been held up by Keigo, walked up the steps to the house a few minutes later, only to stop in his tracks when he heard fierce shouting.

"YOU GOT A WHAT?!"

"OWOWOWOWOWOWOWO! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!" came Bambietta's voice over the sound of spanking.

Ichigo shivered as he slowly backed away. "Maybe I should come back in half an hour," he said,"I should probably ask if I should tutor her…" he said to himself as he went to go get a soda.


	14. Chapter 14

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. **

_Chapter Fourteen_

 _ **Later that night...  
**_ **Ichigo's House**

Ichigo walked into his home feeing exhausted after today's advance. Everything happened so fast he'd barely had time to register it all. Ryuken's attempted assassination of Bambietta. Saving her and learning the truth behind her bloody past. The kiss they'd shared together and being caught in front of her mother. "Good grief, what a day…" he groaned.

He felt another presence in the clinic next to his house and frowned. "What's he doing here?" he stormed into the clinic and found the room Ryuken was staying in, ready to give him a piece of his mind. However, when he saw the state that Ryuken was in, he realized that Ikumi had already given him a piece of hers. He recognized the boot imprint on the side of his face.

Ryuken blinked when the lights turned on and he saw Ichigo standing in the doorway. "Go ahead and laugh…" the doctor said, expecting Ichigo to have the same reaction as his father.

"No. I think I'll do something else…" the boy said as he walked over to the crippled Quincy.

"What are you doing?"

Grinning evilly, the boy grabbed the only part of Ryuken's body that wasn't covered: his nose. Ryuken cried out in pain when Ichigo twisted his nose. "Arghhh! What do you think you're going?!"

"Payback." Ichigo let go of his nose and glared at Ryuken. "That's for hurting Bambi. If you ever hurt her again…" he threatened.

"Please…" Ryuken groaned, wishing he could nurse his nose. "I think Ikumi would beat you to the punch."

Smirking at the idea of Ikumi beating Ryuken senseless again. "Just a fair warning."

Leaving Ryuken alone, Ichigo went up to his room. Collapsing onto his bed, Ichigo heard a buzzing in his pocket and pulled out his phone.

" _Eight o'clock. Sharp."_

Burying his face in his pillow, Ichigo groaned again. "This is going to be hell tomorrow. Isn't it?"

 _ **The Next Morning…  
**_ **Ikumi's House**

Ikumi was waiting for Ichigo as he walked up to her house at eight o'clock on the dot. The woman, who was missing her trademark hat and gloves, looked at Ichigo silently before gesturing for him to come inside. So many red flags went off in Ichigo's mind as he followed her up the stairs and into her home, wondering if Bambi and Kaoru were up already. Ichigo became more unnerved as she led him to her office. Usually Ikumi was very vocal about her opinions. Her silence made chills run up Ichigo's spine. He'd face Aizen ten times over again rather than deal with an angry Ikumi.

Sitting down at her desk, Ikumi motioned for Ichigo to sit in front of her. The woman chose her words wisely after thinking about everything all night.

Not saying a word, Ikumi got up and walked out of the room, leaving Ichigo to sweat all by his lonesome. The boy was beyond nervous now. The silence was becoming more than he could bear. He already had a good idea what would cause such unrelenting ire from the woman. ' _Crap!'_ he thought nervously. ' _This has to be about the kiss she saw yesterday!'_ He shuddered after remembering the warning Ikumi gave her the night that he met Bambi. ' _She's going to end me, isn't she?'_

Ikumi's boots let Ichigo know of her return. Walking back to her desk, Ikumi had something in her arms wrapped in tissue. She set the item down on her desk before taking a seat again, her eyes turning towards Ichigo. Yet he didn't see the fire and fury he normally saw. Instead he saw weariness and pain. He was looking at a mother who'd gone through a lifetime of torment and was preparing for some more.

"Ichigo," she finally said, breaking the tension that had been building in the room. "I have some questions for you. And…I have to say some things that need to be explained." Sitting back in her chair, she took a deep breath before speaking again. "Before we start, this is not your boss you're talking to. This is from a mother. Understand?" she asked. Ichigo nodded, knowing that this was going to be a serious conversation.

Ichigo sat back in his chair, waiting for whatever torture that Ikumi had planned for him. But Ikumi instead kept on talking. "Ichigo, I know things that you probably don't think I know about," she informed him with narrowed eyes. When Ichigo looked at her confused she elaborated. "I know about Soul Reapers."

That statement alone made Ichigo's hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. ' _What?!'_

"I know about Quincies too. Not much, just from what I learned from my ex-husband." Seeing the stunned look on Ichigo's face told her she'd struck gold. "And I know what I saw back at the graveyard yesterday." When Ichigo opened his mouth to speak, she held up a hand to silence him. "Let me finish," she demanded. "I almost saw my Bambi, my little girl who I thought was lost forever, killed before my very eyes. I tried to save her but some invisible force field kept me from reaching her. And then…I saw something through the force field save her. I could not see what it was. It looked hazy even after I couldn't feel the force field in front of me and it looked like some phantasm. I was so confused by what was happening," she confessed, tilting her head back as she remembered that frightful image of her daughter on death's door. When she looked back down at Ichigo she gave him a knowing smile. "Imagine my surprise, however, when I heard Bambi call the phantom that'd saved her by your name."

All at once Ichigo knew he'd been found out, standing out of his chair as shock hit him. Ikumi had finally caught on to the secret he'd kept from her. "I can explain!" he said before Ikumi held up her hand again.

"I'm still not finished, Ichigo," Ikumi informed him, speaking in a tone that brokered no debate. She waited until Ichigo sat back down to continue. "I overheard your conversation on that hill. I heard what she did…" she reached for the object and unwrapped it, "And I cannot believe that my husband put her through all of that."

Unwarpping the object, Ikumi revealed a picture. What it was, Ichigo couldn't tell. But he knew it was important by the way Ikumi clutched it to her chest, closing her eyes as a wave of memory hit her from a time long past. Looking back up at Ichigo she set the photo on her desk. "The night you brought Bambi back to me, I overheard how Bambi was taken by her father."

Ichigo decided that now was as good as any a time to speak. "Yeah, but she said that she didn't remember much of back then. All she remembered was hearing noises downstairs before her father took her to the Vandenreich."

Ikumi leaned back in her chair again and thought about the day that Bambi and her father disappeared. "I think I've a good idea what she heard," she told the boy. "It was probably the argument I had with my ex-husband."

Sitting in his chair, Ichigo knew that he had to choose his words carefully. He was walking through a field of mines and one wrong word could get him blown sky high. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he told her.

But Ikumi shook her head. "Thank you for being understanding and sensitive, Ichigo. But you're a part of this whether I want you to or not. You need to know what happened that day. The day that my dumbass ex-husband took my little girl away…"

 _ **Fourteen Years ago…**_

 _Inside the Unagiya house a fierce battle was going on. A younger Ikumi Unagiya glared at her husband of three years, the two standing in the living room. "For the last time! I don't want our little girl taken away for who knows how long!" she yelled harshly. She normally didn't yell when Bambietta was within earshot but today she had to put her foot down._

 _Opposite her was her husband. A man with dark, messy hair and blue eyes, he glared at his wife with equal anger. He loved Ikumi but there were times when she tried his patience and this was one of them. "Ikumi, if our girl has the same abilities as I do, then she needs to be with her people!" he insisted. He tried to reason with his wife, to get her to understand things from his point of view._

 _But Ikumi threw her counterargument right back at him. "So I can't go with her and be there for her?! Why can't she stay here, where she's safe? Or better yet, why can't you stay here with us and train her?" she questioned._

 _Letting his hands hit his sides, Ikumi's husband threw his head back and growled in exasperation. He wished he could make Ikumi understand the consequences of keeping Bambietta from her kind, from the Vandenreich and from Yhwach. "I'm not enough to truly help her with her gifts. She needs better instruction and she can't get it here. I won't have her become weak!"_

 _Ikumi saw red at that last statement. Out of all the things her husband could say to tick her off, that was it. "WEAK?" she barked back. "Did I just hear you right?!" She grabbed her husband by the collar and made her look him dead in the eyes. "Don't you dare say that to my face again! You hear me?! What you need to realize is that you can't just decide this for yourself. You may be her father but I'm her mother!" she told him strongly before letting go._

 _Deciding to take a minute to breath, Ikumi turned away and sat down on the couch, not looking at her husband. The man looked at his wife while shaking his head in disbelief. 'Why can't she understand?' he thought. 'This is what's best for Bambi.'_

 _It was then that Ikumi's husband heard a noise from upstairs, coming from Bambietta's room. "I'll be back," he told Ikumi, hoping his wife would cool off while he checked on their daughter. Ikumi turned and watched him go before turning away again and huffing._

 _What she didn't know was that this would be the last time she'd ever see her husband again. And that this was the moment where she thought she'd lost her Bambi forever…_

 _ **Back to the present…**_

"After that, my ex-husband went behind my back like a coward and took Bambietta away from our home. When I didn't hear anything from Bambi's room, I came up to find that they were already gone." Ikumi closed her eyes and struggled to keep herself from crying. The horrid memory of finding her husband and daughter gone was heartbreaking.

Sitting in his chair, Ichigo listened to Ikumi's story. Hearing what Bambietta's father did made him angry but he also knew that if it weren't for the man's blind loyalty, Bambietta wouldn't have been spared Yhwach's Auswahlen. His eyes turned back to the photo on Ikumi's desk and knew that whatever it was, it must've been special to Ikumi.

Looking at the picture on her desk helped Ikumi get back on track. She decided to get to the meat of the conversation. "So tell me, Ichigo, do you have feelings for my daughter?" she asked knowingly, her voice serious.

Anxiety hit Ichigo once again as he knew he was on thin ice from last night. But he couldn't lie to Ikumi anymore than he could lie to himself. "I do," he told her with a serious face. "She means a lot to me," he admitted.

The two locked eyes for a moment, neither of them blinking. Finally, Ikumi smiled at her employee and stood up out of her seat. "Okay, Ichigo. You can date Bambi."

Ichigo blinked in surprise. "Just like that?" he asked.

"Just like that," Ikumi replied, her tone nice and innocent. "Excuse me for a moment. There's something I need to get..." Stepping away from the desk she walked over to a cabinet.

Ichigo leaned back in his chair and breathed a sigh of relief. He'd been worried that Ikumi would bite his head off after his statement. ' _At least she's cooled down now,'_ he thought…right before Ikumi dumped a huge pile of papers into his lap. "What's all this?"

The wicked gleam in Ikumi's eye scared Ichigo. "No girl of mine is going to be dating someone who can't do their work right! Plus," she smirked in such an evil fashion that it would've scared Kenpachi, "I did warn you that what'd happened if you touched my Bambi, remember?" she told him in a tone that told Ichigo not to argue. Getting up from his seat with the huge pile of papers, Ichigo grumbled as he walked towards the door with Ikumi's help. He'd take getting the crap beaten out of him rather than do tedious paperwork.

Watching her employee leave, Ikumi couldn't help but smile. She was a little angry at first but she was glad that her daughter had found someone to love that was as kindhearted as Ichigo. She knew he wouldn't disrespect Bambietta. ' _Who would've thought that slacker would end up being my girl's charmer.'_ She turned back to the photo on the desk and smiled at it one more time before following Ichigo to get to work.

The picture that Ikumi had treasured so much that was on her desk was an old photo of Ikumi's, showing her holding her baby girl when they were at a festival, the two of them happy together…

 _ **Later that day…**_

Bambietta, dressed in shorts and a white shirt, put down her pencil. "Ugh…finally done," she said. Her mother had told her to stay at home for the day to recover from her near-death experience. She'd spent it mostly in her room, reflecting on the day before. Deciding to do something to kill the monotony, she'd pulled out a diary her mother had given her and started to write in it.

She couldn't get her mind off of Ichigo. She felt her heart flutter at the mere thought of the teen, her cheeks burning every time she thought of the kiss they'd shared. She knew that if it weren't for Ichigo she'd be dead. But it was more than that. Ichigo knew of her past and even after hearing of all the horrible things she'd done in the name of her king, the Soul Reaper still wanted to be her friend. ' _Either he's an idiot…or he's the most selfless person on the planet,'_ she thought.

The girl sensed Ichigo approaching her room and her heart fluttered, the blood rushing to her face again when she saw Ichigo in the doorway. "Hey, Bambietta. Can I come in?"

Hastily putting away the diary, Bambietta nodded before noticing Ichigo's ragged appearance. "Wow…you look exhausted." Ichigo looked like Bambi's mother had put him through the wringer, his shoulders slumped and his expression tired. "I take it since you're not dead that Mom was okay with you kissing me?"

"Yeah," Ichigo gave her a smile before the two sat down on her bed. "Though I guess she decided that working me ragged was enough punishment."

Bambietta's laughter filled the room. "Ichigo, the Substitute Soul Reaper who defeated Yhwach, is exhausted by a little hard work?"

"If by hard work you mean doing a billion jobs all in one day before the sun goes down then yeah, she worked me hard." He looked at Bambietta and smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. I've been resting all day," Bambietta told him. Seeing him so ragged gave her an idea. Sitting back, she patted her lap. "Here. Mama might get mad but you need some rest."

The idea of laying his head on a girl's lap made Ichigo blush but he didn't hesitate. Laying down, he rested his head on Bambietta's soft lap, cushioned by her thighs. Bambietta ran her hands soothingly through Ichigo's hair, wanting to repay him a little for everything he'd done for her so far.

Closing his eyes, Ichigo couldn't help but smile in contentment. It was moments like this that made him believe in the goodness in Bambietta's heart. To see such tenderness was a reminder that beneath the psychotic killer was a girl who yearned to be loved. "Hey, Bambi?"

"Yeah?"

"Would…" Ichigo opened his eyes and looked up at the dark-haired girl. "Would you like to go out with me tomorrow?" he asked.

The blush on Bambietta's face intensified. "I'd…I'd love to," she said with a smile. She looked at the clock and saw how late it was getting. She told herself to tell Ichigo he should probably be getting home but decided to wait a few more minutes.

She wanted the moment to last a little longer…

To be continued

 _ **Bambietta's Life as a Schoolgirl  
Keigo's Folly**_

Bambietta packed her bags for the day and got ready to leave, another day at school done. She heard footsteps approach her and turned around to see Keigo walk by. "Hey, Bambi?" the boy asked awkwardly.

"What?" the Sternritter asked. She didn't like Keigo that much but for Ichigo and Uryu's sake she tolerated him. "What do you want?"

"I was just wondering maybe if you wanted to go out next Saturday?" Keigo asked, hopeful that the beautiful Bambietta didn't have a boyfriend.

Turning away, Bambietta rolled her eyes. "No thanks. I've got plans next week." She wasn't exactly lying. She planned on going with her mother and brother to a festival. But even if she didn't, she wouldn't be seen with Keigo. Something about him rubbed her the wrong way.

Rejected like all the other times he asked a girl out, Keigo slumped. Walking away in defeat he mumbled, "This is what I get for going after the tomboys…"

Both Ichigo and Tatsuki went pale when they heard Keigo's words. Their eyes turned to Bambietta, who was seeing red by Keigo's insult.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A TOMBOY!" Bambietta roared, lunging at Keigo to strangle his neck before Ichigo and Tatsuki held her back. "YOU JUST WATCH YOURSELF! I'M GOING TO RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!" she screamed, Keigo stumbling to the ground in fright. He was lucky he'd already went to the bathroom…

As Ichigo and Tatsuki dragged her away, Uryu walked up to him. "You know, Keigo, sometimes you should keep your mouth shut."

"Yeah…" Keigo breathed. "Why are all the hot girls crazy?"


	15. Chapter 15

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. **

_Chapter Fifteen_

 _ **A few weeks later…  
**_ **Karakura High School**

Keigo and Mizuiro stood next to their lockers, gossiping before the day began for them. "So have you seen Ichigo lately?" Mizuiro asked.

Leaning back against his locker, Keigo shrugged. "Not really. He seems to keep himself pretty busy, between his job with that crazy chick and his you-know-what," he said, not wanting to openly expose Ichigo's otherworldly duties. "You?"

"I saw him yesterday with Bambietta. They were coming back from an arcade. They looked like they had fun."

"Really? How so? Did Ichigo come out of there after winning a giant teddy bear or something?"

"No, Bambietta did," Mizuiro claimed, remembering the huge smile on the dark-haired girl's face as she hugged the giant pink teddy bear. "She seems pretty happy now after she started going out with Ichigo."

Keigo scoffed. "Lucky bastard…"

"You don't approve? I'd have thought you'd have given up on Bambietta after she almost ripped your head off," his friend pointed out.

"Maybe. But Ichigo gets all the luck," Keigo sighed. "Bambi's so hot. She's got some fire in her too. She's the complete opposite of Orihime."

Mizuiro leaned back against the lockers as well. "I think about half the school has a crush on Bambietta. Still though, I think they make a cute couple."

"A lot of things Ichigo is, Mizuiro. Cute isn't one of them," Keigo pointed out.

"Maybe…" Mizuiro nodded. "But you have to admit, they do seem like a good match."

"How so?"

"Well, Ichigo seems to be happier. And I've never seen Bambietta so happy before."

Keigo reluctantly nodded. He had to admit, Ichigo's smile was something he was seeing a lot more of. "I guess. I prefer happy Ichigo over smiling Ichigo any day."

The two saw the aforementioned Ichigo and Bambietta walk down the hallway past them talking, walking hand in hand. Keigo had to admit he was jealous of Ichigo but then again, who else but Ichigo could handle someone as fiery as Bambietta Unagiya.

 _ **Later that night…**_

"So what do you think?" Ichigo suggested as he and his girlfriend headed to his place for dinner. He'd spent the afternoon working with Ikumi and helping tutor Bambietta before offering for her to come over to his house for dinner with his family.

"Are you sure?" Bambietta asked, adjusting her hat. "Orihime's so bubbly and he's…kind of a stiff."

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, but I can tell that Uryu cares for her. I think you should talk to her while I talk to Uryu."

Tapping her chin, Bambietta thought about it. "You have a point. Maybe Orihime can pull the stick out of his butt."

The two had been talking about trying to push Uryu to start dating Orihime for a while. Both Ichigo and Bambi felt very bad for causing Orihime so much pain, though Orihime told them that she didn't blame Bambi for being the one to win Ichigo over. Likewise, Ichigo knew of the hurt he'd given Orihime and he wanted his friend to be happy.

"What do you suggest?" Bambietta asked, slipping her hand into Ichigo's. She liked being with Ichigo. She felt like a better person when she was around him.

"Why don't you talk to Orihime tomorrow while I go and talk to Uryu? We could invite them on a double date."

Bambietta thought about it and smiled at the idea. "Sure. Why not?" The two turned a corner and Ichigo's house came into sight. "So what's your sister cooking today?"

"Some lasagna recipe she found online."

"Hmm…maybe she should ask Orihime for one of her recipes?" Bambietta suggested.

Ichigo scowled. "No. Just…no…" He knew that Bambietta enjoyed Orihime's odd cooking but he on the other hand didn't think he could stand having such bizarre concoctions all day every day.

 _ **Later that night…  
**_ **Kurosaki house; Living room**

As the night rolled on, Ichigo and Bambietta cuddled on the couch, his sisters in their room and his father washing the dishes. On the coffee table lay Bambietta's hat.

Though she wasn't exactly a cuddler, Bambietta found herself at peace when she was in Ichigo's arms. Lying on top of him, the girl paid her head on his shoulder, hugging him tightly. Ichigo smiled at his girlfriend tenderly, running his hand through her dark hair. He noticed the scar on her arm and frowned, remembering how Bambietta's arm would occasionally tremble from time to time. "How's your arm?" he asked.

Still laying on Ichigo, Bambietta reached for her arm and clutched it, the memory of when she lost it still fresh in her mind. "Better. The shaking has stopped for the most part."

Ichigo knew about her phantom limb pain. The more they dated the more Bambi opened up about herself to him. "I'm here for you if it starts hurting again."

Bambietta hummed in content and closed her eyes, letting Ichigo's warmth seep into her body, like she was basking in the light of a burning sun. "Mmmhhh…" She thought about the dinner she had with Ichigo's family and the dinners she had with her mother and little brother. ' _To think I missed out on so many family dinners for so long. I'm a little jealous of him.'_

Her thoughts turned to her family. She wished now that she'd told her mother everything sooner, now knowing that Ikumi knew more than she led on. She was glad that Kaoru didn't share the same father as her; at least he was spared the burden of knowing about Quincies. Both she and her mother decided to not tell Kaoru about Bambietta's true heritage or her father, knowing that the boy didn't need to know that his sister had died twice fighting a war.

Feeling sleepy, Bambietta adjusted her position to make herself more comfortable. She curled up into Ichigo's embrace, the heat of his breath on her face making her feel heated. "Thanks for inviting me to dinner, Ichigo."

"You're welcome, Bambi," Ichigo said, happy that Bambietta looked at peace. Ever since they started dating and Bambietta had opened her heart to him, Ichigo had seen that the girl's wild, psychotic bursts of rage had died down, with but a few exceptions. He was glad that the girl had come to piece with herself. He could feel his arm getting numb from Bambi laying on top of it but didn't budge an inch, not wanting to disturb Bambietta.

As the two continued to cuddle on the couch, two heads poked from around the corner and watched them. Yuzu watched her brother hold the girl in his arms with a face filled with joy. "Awww! They're so adorable!"

Karin smirked as she continued to watch her sister spy on her brother and his girlfriend. "Geez, Yuzu, way to act like dad…" she teased.

"But it's so romantic!" Yuzu insisted, trying hard not to make herself heard so she didn't spoil Ichigo's moment. "Look how happy they are!"

Looking around, Karin wondered where their father was, not hearing any sounds coming from the kitchen. Her question was answered when she saw Isshin's head poke around the doorway to the kitchen, the same smile on his face as Yuzu's.

"Like father, like daughter, eh?"

To be continued

 _ **Bambietta's Life as a Schoolgirl  
Explosive Home Ec.**_

Bambietta hummed as she dumped a bunch of baking soda into the bowl, listening to the Home Ec. teacher's instructions.

Beside her was her lab partner, Orihime, who looked at the Sternritter concerned. When it came to cooking Bambietta wasn't exactly a model student. "Um…are you sure you should be using that much baking soda?" she asked.

"Sure, I'm sure!" Bambietta said, reaching mindlessly for a bottle of oil. Her fingers grabbed around a bottle and she opened it up. Before Orihime could open her mouth she poured it into the bowl. "There we go. Now we-"

 _BOOM!_

Everyone stopped and stared as the bowl erupted, covering Bambietta's face with gunk. Blinking, she looked down at the bottle in her hand and realized she'd grabbed vinegar.

"I think I should handle the ingredients from now on…" Orihime chuckled nervously.

Covered in white gunk, Bambietta quietly handed the bowl to Orihime. "I...agree..."

 **A.N.: I apologize for the lightness of this chapter. I'm going through some stuff at home and couldn't really think of anything for this. The next chapter is where we finally get to the good part *wink*.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.  
Warning: Lemon!**

 _Chapter Sixteen_

 _ **Two days later…  
**_ **Unagiya House**

The hard-working mother was busy washing the dishes when she saw her daughter come in to the kitchen. "I'm going out, Mom!" Bambietta told her mother.

Turning around, Ikumi raised an eyebrow at her daughter's attire. The girl was wearing a black shirt with a cartoon bomb on it as well as shorts that were dangerously close to being scandalous. In addition she wore a belt with a heart-shaped belt buckle and her usual white hat. "Going out with Ichigo again?" Ikumi asked, crossing her arms.

Bambietta nodded. "Yeah, we're taking Uryu and Orihime out with us on a double date," she explained.

Ikumi couldn't help but smile at the idea. "So my little girl's playing matchmaker, eh? Just be careful," she told her daughter.

"C'mon, Mama, it's me! I'll be fine," Bambietta said.

"The fact that it's you is what worries me," Ikumi retorted. She walked over and hugged her daughter, glad that they'd moved past what'd happened. "Have fun, Bambi."

"Thanks, Mama."

"You can go…after you change pants."

"Mama!"

"No daughter of mine is going out like that!" Ikumi scowled. "Now go change!"

"Fine…" Bambi said. But as soon as her mother's back was turned, she headed for the door. When Ikumi heard the door slam shut, she realized Bambi had already left without changing her short-shorts.

"BAMBI!"

 _ **Later that night…  
**_ **Karakura Town**

"That was fun…" Bambietta said as she hugged Ichigo's arm, the two walking down the street as night fell on the town. The Quincy and Soul Reaper had wrapped up their double date with Uryu and Orihime and things had turned out better than they'd hoped.

Though Orihime was a little nervous, Bambietta helped her dress for their double date. It didn't take much convincing for both Ichigo and Bambietta to convince the two to come with them. Uryu himself had feelings for the healer and after recovering from the pain of Ichigo's rejection Orihime was willing to give the Quincy a chance. Ichigo was surprised by how quickly Uryu accepted his invitation but he was pleased.

The four had went out to eat and afterwards had taken some time to walk through a park. Ichigo and Bambi quickly vanished to leave the two alone and watched in the distance as the two admitted they liked each other and Uryu asked Orihime out.

"I told you they make a cute couple," Bambietta said.

"I wouldn't call Uryu 'cute', Bambi."

"Maybe…" Bambietta gave her a boyfriend a wide smile. "But they said the same thing about you."

"Really?" Ichigo blinked.

"I heard some of the girls at school talking about us. I think they're jealous." She hugged Ichigo's arm tighter, pressing her ample bosom into him. "I know I'd be in their shoes."

Ichigo felt heat kindle inside him from the fiery look in her eyes. For the past few days, the tension between the couple was starting to become unbearable and they both waited for the right opportunity.

Luckily for them, Ichigo asked for a little favor…

"So are we heading to your place?" Bambietta asked. "You sister told me she'd bake a cake for me the next time I came over."

"Yeah, about that…" Ichigo could hear the pounding of his heart in his chest but kept his cool. "Dad took the girl's to a medical convention with him for the weekend. Right now I'm home alone."

"Home alone?" Bambietta repeated, liking where this was going. Her smile widened as Ichigo hooked an arm around her waist. "I'm sure we can entertain ourselves," she said.

As the two continued to walk, the tension building inside them began to build. Ichigo couldn't keep himself from staring at Bambietta's chest, noting how she wasn't wearing a bra and watching her round melons bounce with every step. Sweat rolled down the side of Bambietta's face as she felt Ichigo's strong arm wrap around her, feeling a tingling in her loins as Ichigo's fingers brushed against her rear.

Bambietta stopped for a moment when she felt her left shoe become loose. Cursing the timing, Bambietta pulled away from Ichigo's embrace. "One sec. I gotta tie my shoe." Turning away from her boyfriend, the Quincy leaned over to tie her shoe, her skirt tilting up as she leaned over and giving Ichigo a full-frontal view of her rear end. Ichigo's eyes became fixed to Bambietta's derriere, feeling his pants become uncomfortably tight. When Bambietta finished tying her shoe, she turned around and saw the smile and heated stare on her boyfriend's face. "What?" she asked, blushing from Ichigo's expression.

"I just realized: Rukia isn't the only one who wears Chappy panties."

Bambietta snapped. Hearing Ichigo talk lewd was the ultimate turn-on. "Shut up and kiss me!" she said before throwing herself in Ichigo's arms. The two kissed madly, right there on the empty street. Holding on to Ichigo tightly, Bambietta zoomed them away with Hirenkyaku, landing on Ichigo's doorstep.

Opening the door, the two quickly went inside the empty house. As soon as the door slammed shut, Bambietta was upon Ichigo, taking his lips in another frenzied kiss. She'd wanted this for so long, spending many a night in her bed dreaming about the Substitute Soul Reaper and soaking many panties.

Cupping Bambi's peachy ass, Ichigo carried her up the stairs, his body on fire from Bambietta's sweet lips. He made doubly sure that Kon wouldn't interrupt them, making sure to have Yuzu take him along on their trip, making sure that they were really all alone. Every step up the stairs caused the bulge to press against her clothed honeypot, making both moan into each other's lips.

Reaching his bedroom, Ichigo set Bambi down on her feet and reached for his clothes. But Bambi beat him to it and grabbed the collar of Ichigo's shirt. With a crazy grin, Bambietta tore the shirt to pieces, not wanting to waste any time. The crazy look in Bambietta's eyes turned on Ichigo even more. In response, Ichigo grabbed her shirt and tore it off of her, his eyes widening as Bambietta's naked breasts were freed.

The half-naked Ichigo pressed the Quincy up against the wall, capturing her lips in another hot kiss. Bambietta wrapped her arms around Ichigo's broad shoulders, her breasts pressed into him. Ichigo's head fogged up when Bambietta wrapped her lips around his tongue, sucking on it lewdly while rubbing her hardening nipples into his heated skin. The Sternritter gasped when Ichigo's knee pressed up against her crotch, her legs wobbling as pleasure pooled inside her. "Mmmmhhh!"

Their tongues met in a mad frenzy, each trying to devour the other's lips in a mad kiss. As they continued to make out, Bambietta reached down and started to undo Ichigo's pants, unbuttoning them and pulling down the zipper. As air finally became an issue, Ichigo broke the kiss, a strand of saliva connecting the two lustful teens. "Bambi…"

Cupping his face, Bambietta kissed him again, lost in her own lust for him. She took her white hat and put it on Ichigo's head before going down on her knees. She yanked down Ichigo's pants and boxers, her jaw hanging as Ichigo's cock smacked her in the face. "Oh…my…god!" she gasped, staring at Ichigo's huge member. "Is your dad a horse or something?" If she had a ruler on hand she'd bet that Ichigo was at least nine inches with plenty of girth. She had to admit: Ichigo was a man among men.

Ichigo couldn't help but tease Bambietta. "What's the matter, Bambi? Scared?"

Bambi snapped out of her stupor and looked up at Ichigo. The boy gasped when Bambietta grabbed him by the balls. "I wouldn't get to cocky, Ichigo. Well…" she loosened her grip on his tender testes and leaned forward, her hot breath hitting Ichigo's clamhammer, "maybe you can be a little."

Ichigo was in absolute bliss as Bambietta wrapped her lips around his thick head and took him into her mouth. His hands went to her head, tilting his head back as Bambietta's wet orifice enveloped his cock. "Bambi…" he moaned.

"Mmmh!" Bambietta hummed into his manmeat, sucking him off with lustful fervor. Though inexperienced, she took Ichigo as deep as she could go, a little intimidated by his sheer girth, her tongue flattened. Still, the taste of Ichigo's cock swarmed her senses, his scent making her pussy even wetter. Her hands gripped Ichigo's strong thighs as she bobbed her head back and forth. She turned her head and felt the tip of Ichigo's cock push against her cheek, letting her lick the side of his shaft.

"Ohhhhh!" Ichigo moaned. He'd no idea getting head was this amazing. His grip on Bambietta's head tightened when Bambietta started to lick the sensitive head of his manhood. "Don't stop!" he gasped, sweat starting to run down his face. The sensation of his balls tightening up told him he was about to blow. "I'm gonna cum!" he groaned…before Bambietta squeezed the base of his cock, stopping his climax. "Hey!"

Pulling Ichigo's meat out of her mouth, Bambietta grinned. "Can't let the party end just yet, now can I?" she teased before getting up.

In retaliation for being denied his climax, Ichigo grabbed her shoulders and pinned her against the wall. Bambietta shivered at this more bestial side of Ichigo but couldn't help but want him more. Ichigo grabbed her skirt and pulled it down, leaving her in a pair of pink panties. Ichigo had always thought Bambi was cute, but now, seeing her almost bare before him, she was absolute enthralling.

Pulling Bambi away from the wall, Ichigo carried her to bed and bent her over the edge. He ripped off her panties with the same lust that destroyed his shirt, exposing her shapely ass and her dripping womanhood. "You know what else I realized, Bambi?"

"What?" Bambietta replied, shivering as Ichigo's warm hands palm her booty.

"Your belt buckle isn't the only thing that's heart-shaped."

Bambietta couldn't help but smile before she gasped as Ichigo's hand came down sharply on her asscheeks. "AH!" She realized that Ichigo was getting her back for denying his orgasm and grinned. "Oooooh! Someone's feeling kinky," she teased.

"I guess I learned it from you." Turning his attention back to Bambietta's ass, Ichigo spanked it again, his eyes glued as he watched her heart-shaped rear jiggle from the smack.

The Sternritter gripped the bedsheets as Ichigo punished her bottom. The aching in her womanhood grew more as Ichigo painted her peachy ass red with his handprint. ' _Oooooh! Ichigo found out I'm a masochist! Fuck!'_

Bambi's ass jiggled and shook as Ichigo switched from one cheek to the next, loving every sound that came out of Bambi's mouth. He saw how wet her pussy was and knew that she was enjoying being spanked. "You're so wet…" he teased, pressing his fingers up against her moist entrance.

"I've been wet…since the day I met you!" Bambi moaned, "Mmmmmmmhhh!" Her mind started to go blank as Ichigo fingered her wet snatch, a dirty sound coming from her womanhood. "OOOOH!" she cried out when Ichigo suddenly continued to smack her ass, rubbing her pussy all the while. She was close…so close…

"I'm…I'm…" Bambi squeezed her eyes shut as the tension inside her grew to a boiling point. She was about to cum harder than she'd ever in her life…when Ichigo suddenly stop. When Ichigo's hands left her lower half, Bambietta looked up at her boyfriend and glared at him, realizing that he'd done to her what she'd done to her. "You tease!"

Ichigo couldn't help but grin, enjoying the sight of Bambi's naked body, her ass a shade of red, panting and gasping for breath as her juices dripped down her legs. "Sorry, I wanted to save the fireworks till the end." His hard cock throbbed as he got up to walk over to his dresser. Opening the top drawer, Ichigo pulled out a small box of condoms, something he bought knowing that his feelings for Bambi would explode like this.

But Bambi suddenly appeared behind him and grabbed the box out of his hands. To Ichigo's shock, Bambi, with a wide grin, took the box of condoms and hurled it into the trashcans. "No condoms, Ichigo." She leaned forward and pressed her naked body against his, feeling his cock rub against her wet entrance. "I want you to fuck me raw!" she said with a wide, crazy smirk.

Ichigo was aroused by Bambi's boldness but was still concerned at the reckless decision. "But Bambi! What if you get preg-"

The Sternritter silenced him with a deep kiss, taking the hat from atop his head and tossing it to the floor. "Relax," she said, nibbling on his lower lip. "I'm on the pill." She remembered her mother practically forcing birth control pills down her throat the morning after she started dating Ichigo, telling her that she didn't trust Ichigo or especially her.

Hearing that he could go all the way with no repercussions, Ichigo threw what restraint he had left in the wind. Cupping Bambi's ass, Ichigo picked her up and carried her over to the bed. Laying the naked girl on the bed, Ichigo crawled on top of her, the two caressing each other's naked bodies as they kissed, addicted to the taste of each other's lips.

Spreading Bambietta's legs Ichigo lined up his thick manhood with her entrance, a shiver run down his spine as he felt the wet heat of her pussy touch the tip. Before he could take his first steps into manhood though, Bambietta wrapped her legs around his waist. With a burst of Hirenkyaku, Bambi pulled a switcheroo, reversing their positions. Ichigo blinked when he found himself on his back, Bambi straddling his lap.

The Sternritter grinned as she gripped Ichigo's cock and shivered as she rubbed the thick head against her entrance. "You ready, bad boy?" she said before shifting her hips and lowering herself down onto Ichigo's cock.

A large gasp was shared between Ichigo and Bambi as the Quincy sank down onto his shaft, her pussy stretching around the invading cock. Bambi's whole body started to shake as she gave Ichigo her virginity. Ichigo was so big! ' _Fuck!'_ she thought as she squeezed her eyes shut. ' _It feels like I'm getting my pussy gouged out! I don't think I can have sex with anyone but Ichigo anymore!'_

Laying back on the bed, Ichigo was in bliss as Bambietta took his virginity. He did notice though that there should have been more resistance, only to look up and see Bambi giving him a knowing smile, the girl already knowing what was on his mind. "My training growing up was very intense," she simply said. Ichigo nodded, understanding how physical activity could break a woman's hymen and there was probably nothing more physical than a Sternritter's training.

After a moment to adjust to the massive manmeat inside her, Bambietta started to move, shifting her hips up and down. "Ah! Fuck!" she groaned as her pussy shifted around Ichigo's cock, feeling every inch of him inside of her. Ichigo's hands went to her waist, bouncing her up and down on his clamhammer. Bambi's peachy ass jiggled as her cheeks smacked his hips, the stinging pain in her abused booty urging her on. Her entire body trembled as she took Ichigo inside of her, knowing that no other man could possibly satisfy her.

The bed shook violently as Bambi rode her boyfriend like a stallion. Ichigo's eyes went to her bouncing breasts, seeing her smooth white skin glisten in the moonlight from the window. Bambi leaned back when Ichigo reached for her breasts, palming her large tits. She moaned louder as Ichigo's thumbs rubbed her sensitive nipples, making her head feel light. She reached back and put her hands on Ichigo's knees while she rode Ichigo, moans spewing from her as her pussy moved around Ichigo's cock. "So big! Fuck!" she cried out lewdly, her hands leaving Ichigo's knees to join his hands in fondling her breasts. The two squeezed her breasts roughly, making Bambi's chest burn with lustful heat.

Bambi was surprised when Ichigo let go of her breasts to grab her waist again, her puzzlement increasing when he stopped her bouncing. Before she could voice her complaint though, Ichigo started to rapidly thrust up into her cunt, the tip of his manhood smashing into her cervix. The Sternritter saw stars, her body shaking as Ichigo pounded her pussy, reshaping her from the inside with his cock. 'FUCK! OHHHHH!" she moaned with every breath. Her breasts bounced like crazy from Ichigo's rampant thrusting. She leaned forward and laid down on top of him, her pussy tightening around Ichigo's cock even as he thrust into her like a madman. She dug her hands into Ichigo's hair and kissed him passionately, yielding her body to him.

Ichigo couldn't get enough of the sensation from having his tongue fight with Bambi's. His hands went to her abused ass as he thrust into her snatch, the wet, hot walls wrapping around his manhood oh-so splendidly. Ichigo could feel his balls tighten again and could tell from the look on Bambi's face that she was about to go over the edge as well.

However, Ichigo didn't want to spoil the fun just yet…

Though he wasn't in his Soul Reaper form, Ichigo moved so fast that it made Bambietta's head spin. The Sternritter found herself on her hands and knees, Ichigo mounting her like a beast. Pressing himself down onto her sweaty back. Ichigo cupped her swaying breasts before he whispered into her ear, "You remember when you taught me how to use Blut Arterie?"

"Ye-yeah…" Bambietta panted, her arms and legs shaking.

"I just had a very good idea how to use it…" he said, concentrating the power of his Blut into his hips…

Bambi knew what Ichigo had in mind and grinned nervously. "Oh hell yes…"

A howl escaped Bambi as Ichigo slammed his cock back into her, the force making her head spin. Like a wild animal Ichigo fucked his girlfriend, his cock slamming in and out of her. The sheer force of Ichigo's thrusts, strengthened by his Blut, made the strength in Bambi's arms give out and she slumped onto the bed. "FUUUUUUUUCK!" she screamed, never knowing pleasure like this before. Tears ran down her face as Ichigo pried open the door to her womb and began to fuck the deepest part of her pussy, rapidly sliding in and out of her womb. "FUCK! FUCK! I! CHI! GOOOOOOOOOO!"

Ichigo loved every second of this. He clung to Bambietta as his hips moved with a mind of their own. His chest rubbed against Bambi's back, the sound of their rampant fucking echoing throughout the room. The bed shook like a storm was happening in the middle of it, banging against the wall over and over again.

Bambi's world began to spin. She wasn't merely brought to orgasm. She was subjected to what felt like an endless sea of bliss. Every thrust into her womb made the Sternritter cum, her pussy tightening madly around Ichigo's cock. Her face twisted like a whore being gangbanged and howled as she came. "FUCK! FUUUUUUUUCK! FUCK ME, ICHIGO! FUCK MEEEEEEEE!" she pleaded, pinned to the bed by Ichigo's heavy weight as he made her his bitch.

With his sensitive tip touching the back of her pussy at a rapid speed, Ichigo could take no more. "Guhhh!" he grunted as he leaned back, pulling Bambi with him until she was pressed against his chest, bouncing her on his cock once again as he sat on his knees, his hands cupping her tits and pinching her nipples. "I'm gonna blow!"

"INSIDE!" Bambi pleaded, turning her head. "I WANT YOUR CUM, ICHIGO!"

With his cock nestled snugly inside Bambi's womanhood, Ichigo threw his head back and cried out as he let loose inside of her.

Bambi's world turned to white as Ichigo filled her cunt with his hot spunk. "FUUUUUCK!" the lewd Quincy moaned as she came one more time, soaking his balls and thighs with her silvery love juices, her eyes rolling into the back of her head while her lips formed a fucked-silly smile. "YESSSSSS!"

When Bambi turned her head, Ichigo silenced her with a final deep kiss, exploring the depths of her mouth while he continued unloading every drop of cum in his balls inside of her. He held her tightly against him, her sticky body glued to his, his hands squeezing her tits.

When he finally came down from cloud nine, Ichigo lifted the fucked-silly Bambietta off of him and laid her down. Bambi rubbed her legs together and smiled as Ichigo lay down beside her, cuddling with her boyfriend as they panted for breath.

"Wow…" Bambietta breathed, the heat in her creampied cunt making her entire body tingle. "You…are…amazing…"

"I could say the same for you," Ichigo said, wrapping his arms around her, feeling exhausted.

"Hey, Ichigo?"

"Yeah?"

"Your family won't be back for a while, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

The grin on Bambi's face told Ichigo everything he needed to know. With a flash of Hirenkyaku she was upon him again, straddling his lap. Taking hold of Ichigo's sticky cock, she started to stroke it and work it back to life. "Because I'm nowhere near satisfied. And I know you've still got plenty of gas in the tank."

Any exhaustion Ichigo felt melted away as his cock stood at attention. "Bambi, I have a great idea…"

"What's that?" Bambi asked, smiling.

"I know a girl like you…" he guided his cock towards her backdoor, "likes it rough…"

Bambi's grin grew as wide as it could. "Ichigo, by the time I'm through, you're gonna need a new bed…"

Ichigo knew he was in for a wild night…

To be continued

 _ **Bambietta's Life as a Schoolgirl  
**_ **From One Cat to Another**

Bambi sat on her bed, her face the color of a tomato. In her hands was a book she'd been given by Yoruichi during one of her exams. Though she knew what it was, it still felt very dirty reading an erotic novel.

But then again, considering it was written by Yoruichi, it was a very explicit book…

 _"I see," Yoruichi said as she talked to Bambi, having completed another check-up. "You've never done it before, have you?"_

 _"No…" Bambietta confessed, blushing at the thought of her and Ichigo making the beast with two backs. "You got any tips?" she asked the older, experienced woman._

 _Grinning from ear to ear, Yoruichi walked over to her bookshelf and pulled out one of her written volumes. She put it in Bambi's hands. "This will give you all the help you need. And for your payment…" she smiled seductively at the Quincy. "You get to tell me all the juicy details…"_

 _"_ Good lord!" Bambi said as she flipped the page. "I didn't even know a girl could bend that way!"


	17. Chapter 17

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20. Since I held back for the past FIFTEEN CHAPTERS, there's going to be more lemons in the near future.  
Warning: Lemon!**

 _Chapter Seventeen_

 **Ichigo's Inner World**

The old man Zangetsu looked around and frowned. Something was up. There was no sign of the real Zangetsu anywhere. "Where is he?" he wondered aloud.

He walked along the sideways skyscraper, the sun shining happily above him. He was glad that Ichigo had found happiness with Bambietta and now that their relationship had become intimate, Zangetsu was even starting to see rainbows pop up. He hadn't seen Ichigo this happy since before his mother died.

His blue eyes narrowed behind his shades when he saw one of the windows in the skyscraper. He knelt down and heard two very specific sounds echoing from within the building, making his scowl deepen.

He heard the sound of skin slapping together and maniacal laughter.

Dropping down through the window, Zangetsu found himself standing inside a movie theater. He recognized what this was. This was the part of Ichigo's Inner World that housed his memories. Looking around, Zangetsu saw Ichigo's Inner Hollow sitting in the middle of the theater, a wide smirk on his face as he watched the movie.

Zangetsu let out a groan when he saw Hollow watching one of Ichigo's recent memories. "Really?" Zangetsu asked as he walked over to him. "You were watching the whole time. Must you be so vulgar?" he asked as the real Zangetsu watched Ichigo and Bambi have sex for the first time.

"Aw, c'mon, Old Man!" the Hollow laughed as he took another bite of popcorn. "This is the best stuff right here!" His grinned widened as Ichigo spanked Bambi. "Wow! Look at him go! I thought I was the only one that kinky."

"At least you don't have any tissues," the old man mumbled.

"Oh, I already ran through two boxes already. I'm just giving myself time to recharge my batteries. Hey, you think King would maybe want to spice things up by swapping places with me?" he suggested.

"If you told him that, he'll probably stab you," Zangetsu noted.

"Eh, it's worth a shot," the Hollow said before grabbing some more popcorn.

"…You're going to make me ask, aren't you?"

"Ask what?"

"…Where'd you get that popcorn?"

 _ **A few weeks later…  
**_ **Unagiya House**

Bambi sat on the couch, playing a game with her little brother. Despite her bonding with her mother, Bambi hadn't really had much interaction with Kaoru. Dealing with her mother was one thing, dealing with her little brother was something else.

Kaoru decided to break the ice. "Hey, Sis?"

"Yeah, Kaoru?"

The boy was silent for a moment before he looked up at his elder silbling. "You're dating Ichigo, right?" He'd noticed that the two were spending a lot more time together and that Bambietta was happiest when she was around him.

"Yeah. What about it?" Bambi asked, giving her brother a playful smirk.

"Well…I never really liked Ichigo. He always skipped out on work and Mama always had to go hunt him down. I used to think he wasn't good enough to work for him," he confessed.

Bambietta raised an eyebrow. "Used to?"

"Yeah. He's alright." He gave his sister a warm smile. "I know you like him a lot and he makes you happy."

In a surprisingly Ikumi-like fashion, Bambietta wrapped her arms around Kaoru and hugged him. "Aww! Has my little brother grown a soft spot for Ichigo?" she said, grinning as she hugged him.

Kaoru hugged Bambietta back. He knew she could be pretty volatile at times, remembering some angry conversations she had with her mother shortly after she showed up home, but after a few months he was starting to warm up to his older sister.

When they broke the hug, Kaoru saw her look over at the clock before setting down her controller. "Another date with Ichigo?" he asked.

"Yeah, I asked him yesterday if he wanted to spend some time with me today. He agreed to go shopping with me."

Kaoru rolled his eyes. "So you just wanted a packmule, huh?"

"Hey!" Bambietta bonked her brother on the head. "At least he agrees when I ask, unlike you!"

"Yow!" Kaoru yelped, nursing his sore head. Bambietta's bonks

"Sorry," Bambi said, kissing her brother's head.

"It's okay," he chuckled.

Bambietta got up off the couch and headed to her room. She needed to get ready.

Because if there was one thing the Sternritter knew, tonight was going to be a wild night…

 _ **Later that night…  
**_ **Karakura Town; Love Hotel**

"Mmmmh!" Bambietta moaned as she and Ichigo made out, her hands sliding down Ichigo's tanned back while she sucked on his tongue. Ichigo had her up against the wall, feeling his blood heat up as Bambietta reached to undo his pants.

After spending a few hours at a mall shopping, Bambietta took Ichigo to the love hotel located at the edge of town. After Yuzu had came in and caught them having sex in Ichigo's room, requiring Ichigo to go to Urahara's to borrow the memory-wiping gizmo to ensure that his sister wasn't scarred for life, the two had decided to find someplace else for their lovemaking. Finding the love hotel, the couple decided it was the perfect place.

Pulling away from Bambietta's soft lips, Ichigo turned to admire the room Bambietta had picked out for them. Because the love hotel had many themed rooms, the Quincy had opted to pick the Undersea Kingdom-themed room. The walls painted aquamarine, lined with seashells and paintings of sea creatures. The room was dimly lit, with a fishtank on the far end of the room giving a soft glow, making the two feel like they were at the bottom of the ocean. Most importantly, the room came with something that Bambietta had wanted to try for some time: a top quality waterbed.

"Nice place you picked out," Ichigo said, pulling up Bambietta's shirt only to raise an eyebrow when he saw her seashell-bra.

Giggling, Bambietta grinned. "I thought it'd be your little mermaid tonight, lover boy."

Throwing her arms around her boyfriend, Bambietta kissed him passionately again. Ichigo pushed her back agasint the wall and got down on his knees. Unzipping Bambietta's shorts, Ichigo was not at all surprised to find that Bambietta wasn't wearing any panties. "No underwear again?"

"After you tore up my last two pairs? I figured I'd save me the trouble." She grabbed Ichigo's head and pushed his face into her cunt. Her mouth opened wide and she let out a loud moan as Ichigo's lips touched her honeypot. "Ah! Yes!"

Licking her wet folds, Ichigo felt lightning surge through his veins as he smelt the girl's feminine scent, his cock throbbing in his pants at the thought of fucking his crazy girlfriend again.

Wanting to do something a little differently than usual, Ichigo cupped Bambi's round ass with his strong hands and lifted her up. As her feet left the floor, Bambi instinctively wrapped her legs around Ichigo's head, her thighs squeezing his cheeks as he ate her out standing up. "Ooooh!" Bambietta moaned lewdly, her tongues sticking out as she gripped Ichigo's head, trying her best to balance herself on his shoulders. No easy task since Ichigo's licking made her want to lean backwards. "Someone's kinky!"

"You bring out the kinky in me," Ichigo chuckled before his lips returned to her honeypot.

"Wait!"

Ichigo took his mouth away and looked up at the Quincy. "What is it?" he asked, afraid he did something wrong.

Bambietta flashed him a crazy smile. "Man enough to do a standing 69?" she teased.

Grinning, Ichigo set his girlfriend down. Sitting on her knees, Bambietta scrambled to get Ichigo's boxers off. She licked her lips as Ichigo's cock smacked her in the face, giving it a tender lick from her wet tongue. No matter how many times she saw Ichigo, the sight of his manhood made her pussy tingle with excitement.

Ichigo pulled her up for another deep kiss. The two naked lovers let their hands do the talking as they sucked face, entwining their tongues together until their lust reached a boiling point. Pulling away, Ichigo grabbed Bambi's waist and lifted her up. Bambietta grinned madly as Ichigo flipped her over, his arms wrapping around her waist.

The feeling of her blood rushing to her head made the feeling of Ichigo's cock entering her mouth even dirtier, which was saying a lot. Wrapping her arms around Ichigo's strong waist, Bambietta wrapped her lips around Ichigo and eagerly sucked him off, the taste of Ichigo's hotrod so good on her tongue. Ichigo dipped his tongue into her cunt, licking her pussy while Bambietta sucked him off.

The two moaned into each other's privates as they gave each other oral. Bambietta moaned into Ichigo's cock, licking the tip every time it passed her lips. Ichigo was fell familiar with all of Bambietta's sweet spots by now, his tongue right at home in her cunt. He moaned into her muff as he tasted her sweet juices as her pussy became wetter, the feeling of Bambietta's mouth around his cock exquisite.

Both lovers moaned as they reached orgasm quickly. Bambietta was in bliss as Ichigo came in her mouth, her pussy squirting all over Ichigo's face. Ichigo drank her juices with glee, his tongue lapping at her folds. Bambi drank all of Ichigo's cum, down to the last drop. Most women would have been turned off but for Bambi Ichigo's cum was ambrosia.

Before Ichigo's legs could give out, Ichigo flipped Bambietta over and carried her over to the waterbed. The aquatic mattress jiggled as Ichigo laid Bambi down on it. The Sternritter saw the dirty look on Ichigo's face and returned his grin with one of her own. "Wanna make waves?" she grinned.

"Let's."

The lovers giggled as they shook the bed, the waterbed churning as they felt each other up. Bambietta cooed as Ichigo kissed her neck, his manhood rubbing her stomach. Ichigo's sex drive increased as Bambietta raked her nails down her back. Smiling, Ichigo removed her seashell bra and tossed it to the floor. "Ah!" Bambietta moaned as Ichigo wrapped his lips around her nipple, sucking her harshly. "Yes! Mmmmh!"

After a few minutes of tender suckling, Ichigo decided that he'd enough foreplay. He wanted Bambi to scream his name. "You ready?" he asked, focusing his Blut into his hips and cock. "I'm gonna go all out."

Grinning wickedly from ear to ear, Bambietta spread her legs wide, spreading her wet lips with her fingers. "Go ahead, Ichigo. Rock my world." She loved it when Ichigo power-fucked her Blue Arterie. It was so ravenous, so blissful, that she felt like she was being lifted to heaven. The first time they did it though, Bambietta was left with an awkward limp for several days, earning Ikumi's ire. Luckily, Bambietta was adaptable. The red grid-like pattern of Blut Vene appeared on her upper thighs and pussy lips. "Fuck me. Hard."

Two loud gasps filled the room as Ichigo thrust sharply into Bambi's cunt, filling her pussy in one go. Ichigo almost went cross-eyed from Bambietta's incredible tightness. Thanks to the effects of Blut Vene in her pussy, she was as tight now as she was when Ichigo first deflowered her.

Just how Ichigo liked it.

The buoyancy of the waterbed made the sex even crazier. Bambi's tits bounced wildly as Ichigo fucked her silly, a huge grin on her face. "OH YES!" she yelled in ecstasy, feeling Ichigo pound her pussy wildly. "Fuck me! Fuck my pussy!" she moaned lewdly.

The two rode the waves as they fucked like animals on the waterbed. Ichigo put Bambi's legs on his shoulders and plowed her pussy as hard as he could, giving the crazy girl exactly what she wanted. He smiled as he thought about Bambi's other kinks. "You like that don't you?" he teased, moaning with each thrust into her cunt. "You like me fucking your pussy, you bitch?!"

Bambietta's grin widened to its limit. She loved it when Ichigo talked dirty. It was the biggest turn-on…other than the cock stuffing her womanhood. "Oh yeaaaaaaah!" she slurred. She gripped his arms and dug her nails into his skin as she tightened her pussy around him. "I love you fucking my slutty pussy! I feel so good!" She threw her head back and moaned lewdly with each slide into her tight pussy. "YES! YESSSS! OH! MMMMH! OH YES! FUCK ME! FUCK MY SLUTTY PUSSY!"

Hearing Bambi sound like such a slut was music to Ichigo's ears. The rocking of the waterbed made every thrust feel stronger. He pressed his chest into her breasts, her nipples rubbing delightfully against his skin. "You're so tight!" he panted. Blut Vene made Bambietta so tight. If it weren't for his Blue Arterie enforcing his body he'd have blown his load a long time ago.

Wanting more, Ichigo wrapped his arms around Bambietta and leaned backward. Bambietta was confused until she found herself in Ichigo's lap. His hands gripping her round, soft ass, Ichigo started bouncing her up and down his cock. "Oooooh!" Bambietta moaned, wrapping her arms around Ichigo's broad shoulders. The waterbed made them soar up and down on the bed, Ichigo's lips wrapping around her nipple. "Ah! Yesssss!" Bambi hissed when Ichigo's teeth nibbled on her tit. "Ahhhhhhh!" went the crazy girl when Ichigo swapped to her neglected, unabused tit. She grabbed Ichigo by the back of the head and yanked, turning his head up. "Look at me!" she moaned. "Look at me!" When Ichigo's eyes opened up and they stared at each other, she smashed her lips into his , slipping her tongue into his mouth. "Mmmmmmmmmh!"

Ichigo was an addict and Bambi was his addiction. His hands squeezing her ass hard enough to leave bruises, Ichigo bounced her harder and faster, their bodies rubbing together. Breaking the kiss, Ichigo reached up and touched the side of her face. "I love you…" he said, feeling his balls tighten.

"I love you too!" Bambietta moaned, throwing her head back as the heavenly feeling inside her began to grow out of control like a raging wildfire. "I'm…I'M CUMMING!"

Feeling Bambietta tighten around him as she orgasmed, the familiar sensation of her juices soaking his loins, Ichigo grabbed Bambi by the back of the head and gave her another deep kiss as his cock erupted inside her. "Mmmmmh!" He leaned back and let the waves of the waterbed rock them gently.

Bambietta rolled her eyes into the back of her head as her womb filled with cum. If there was one rush she couldn't get enough of, it was Ichigo giving her pussy a nice, hot creampie. She kissed his cheek as her body cooled down. "Mmmmh, you're so good."

Ichigo kissed her forehead. "So are you. I love you, Bambi."

Smiling, Bambietta kissed his lips again. "And I love you, Ichigo. Wanna try something new?"

"What?"

Getting off of Ichigo's cock, Bambietta crawled over to the nightstand and grabbed something she brought with her when she booked the hotel room. Turning back to Ichigo, she gave him a dirty grin and showed him the tube of lube in her hand. "Wanna fuck my ass?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

Bambietta continued to smile. ' _I found Mama and my baby brother. I met real friends. And I met someone who loves me and is a hunk in bed. Life's good…'_ she thought tenderly as Ichigo began to shove his huge clamhammer into her backdoor. ' _Oh! Life's also kind of a pain in the ass!'_

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Soul Society; Head-Captain's Office**

The newly appointed Head-Captain scribbled away at the paperwork, every now and again rubbing his side. Nanao had healed his grievous injuries but the pain was still there, a reminder of his brush with death.

"Ughh…" he groaned. "So much paperwork. Why couldn't Central 46 have appointed Byakuya to replace Yama?" he wondered before the door opened up. "Captain Kurotsuchi? What brings you here this late at night?"

Back in his golden headdress, the mad scientist captain of Squad Twelve walked up to the man's desk, a sheath of papers in his hand. "There's a matter that's appeared in the World of the Living. One which requires our immediate attention."

Kyoraku sat up straight in his chair. For Kurotsuchi to bring this to him when they were still trying to surmise the total damage done to the Soul Society was unsettling. "What is it?" he asked.

Kurotsuchi threw the papers down onto the desk. Kyoraku saw that they were photos of a certain dark-haired Quincy. "I found the last of the Sternritter."

The Head-Captain frowned. "I see…Nanao?"

"Yes?" said his lieutenant, looking up from her paperwork.

"Bring me the other captains. This needs to be dealt with."

To be continued

 _ **Bambietta's Life as a Schoolgirl  
The Cartoon Deer**_

"Hey, Bambi?" Ichigo asked his girlfriend while the both of them were walking home from school.

Yeah?" responded the Sternritter.

"This is kinda old news but what did you mean about some cartoon deer when that guy at the bridge mentioned it?"

Ichigo saw his girlfriend give him a surprised look on her face. "Wiat a minute…" she said, pulling her hat down while pinching the bridge of her nose. "You mean you honestly don't know?"

"You said it was a long story but you never mentioned it afterwards," Ichigo pointed out.

Sighting, Bambietta shrugged. "Fine. Guess I know what to pick for movie night tonight at your house…"

 _ **Later that night…**_

Bambietta brought over a DVD and showed him the title. When Ichigo saw that it was _Bambi_ , he finally got the joke.

"I never heard of this movie," Ichigo pointed out.

"Well now you do."

The two sat on the couch and Bambi grabbed the remote and hit play. About thirty minutes in though, she fell asleep on Ichigo's shoulder.

When the movie ended, Bambietta felt something nudge her and she woke up in time to see the credits rolling. She stretched out and yawned. "Wow. I didn't mean to sleep through the movie. What did you think, Ichigo?" she asked. When she got no response she turned her head. "Ichigo?" She blinked when she realized that she was alone on the couch. "Hey! Where'd you go?"

The first thing she heard was the sound of the sink in the kitchen. Then she heard another sound: the sound of someone sniffling.

Peeking into the kitchen, Bambietta saw Ichigo with her back to him. But with the sounds he was making coupled with her noticing him wiping his eyes with a rag, Bambietta quickly figured out that Ichigo, of all people, was crying his eyes out.

"That movie seriously made you cry?" Bambietta asked amazed before grinning, the sight quite rare to her.

Ichigo tried to hold himself together but couldn't stop the tears. "I'm not crying! I'm not!"

Bambietta laughed throughout the entire night…


	18. Chapter 18

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. **

_Chapter Eighteen_

 _ **The next day…  
**_ **Precipice World**

 **"** Hurry up, Renji!" Rukia yelled, far ahead of her companion while they traveled thorugh the dark void of the Precipice World. "We haven't seen our friends in over six months! I'm not missing this reunion!" she huffed.

After a few moments, the redhead lieutenant, Renji Abarai, finally caught up to her. "I know. I know," he repeated, huffing for breath. "I know you've been waiting for this," he said as they slowly began to walk again. "It's sucks not being able to see them after so long. Especially after we promised to keep in touch." He took a deep breath and sighed. "But I'm sure they understand. Ichigo knows as well as we do how messed up the Soul Society got during the invasions."

The pair had wanted to visit their friends, especially after they risked their lives for the Soul Society's sake. However, due to the massive devastation during the war, their attention demanded them to stay in the Soul Society to help with the rebuilding efforts and sorting out the dead. In addition to the massive casualties, the Squads were in dire need of reorganizing, what with so many captains dead, missing or critically wounded. In addition, it was taking everyone a long time to get used to the idea of Shunsui Kyoraku as the Head-Captain. Everyone was far too used to Yamamoto leading them. To make matter's worse, Squad Four had lost Captain Unohana, leaving the Seireitei without its chief healer.

After months and months of backbreaking work, Rukia and Renji were given permission to visit the World of the Living. Well, Renji had. Rukia was in command of Squad Thirteen after Ukitake's untimely demise. But she'd finally found the time to visit her friends and invited Renji to come along.

"I know," Rukia told her friend, continuing the conversation. "And Ichigo knows that most of our communication transmitters were destroyed and the Senkaimon was badly damaged. I hope he and Orihime understand."

"It would've taken longer to get the Senkaimon fixed if Captain Kurotsuchi hadn't woken up," Renji remarked, remembering the mad scientist's fury when he'd awakened from the healing pod Yumichika and Ikkaku had placed him in. "Boy, was he mad when he found out he'd been sleeping for three months…"

Rukia gave a cute chuckle. They continued to follow the Hell Butterfly towards the World of the Living. The end of the tunnel came in sight, signaling the end.

An idea came to Renji as they neared the portal. "I wonder if Ichigo's finally figured out Orihime has the hots for him?" he pondered. "Even I can see she's all over the guy."

"Knowing him? Probably not. Why?" she smirked. "Afraid you'll lose the bet?"

"Fat chance!" Renji laughed. "You know as well as I do that this is the biggest bet in the Soul Society. And my money's on Ichigo and Orihime being an item by now!"

"I was going to bet the same thing but since you somehow meat me on that I had to bet that they didn't…" Rukia sighed, remembering the bet she and the other lieutenants had made.

They stepped through the portal and came out on the other side. The familiar landscape of Karakura Town came into view. They both smiled when they saw a familiar face waiting for them. "Hey, Ichigo," Renji greeted with a grin. "How's things been?"

Ichigo smiled. "Hey, Rukia. Renji. It's been a long while…"

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Squad One; Head-Captain's Office**

Kyoraku sat at his desk. He sat with his head supported by his hands, his mind weary with burden. Just when they'd finally got things back to normal in the Soul Society, things began to shake up, as they like to do.

He looked at the photos on the table and examined one with the Sternritter Kurotsuchi had been spying on, Bambietta Basterbine. At the outset, Kyoraku was more than willing to make the girl pay for the lives she'd taken. But like all things, the matter was far more complicated.

As his eyes glanced to another photo on the desk, his thoughts turned to the captains meeting they'd had earlier…

 _"Hello," Kyoraku greeted the captains who'd assembled. The number of people in the room made Kyoraku's heart sank. He couldn't remember a time when there were this few captains to answer the Head-Captain's summons. When the Vandenreich first declared war, there were thirteen captains. Now, of those thirteen, only him, Soi-Fon, Shinji, Byakuya, Toshiro, Kenpachi and Kurotsuchi were present, the remaining six captains dead or incapacitated. "Thanks for meeting with me."_

 _"Head-Captain Kyoraku," said Byakuya, one of the few men in the room to have avoided significant injury during the last battle. "Please remember to conduct yourself accordingly. You're our Head-Captain. We are all obliged to answer your summons."_

 _"Right, right," Kyoraku chuckled. "The reason I've called you here is because Captain Kurotsuchi has brought something to my attention that you all need to see." He opened a folder on his desk and pulled out a photograph of Bambietta. "I trust she needs no introduction."_

 _Toshiro blinked. He remembered the face of that girl from his time in Giselle's captivity. "Isn't that…"_

 _"That is Bambietta Basterbine," Kurotsuchi explained. "The E Sternritter."_

 _"What of it?" Soi-Fon asked, her hands concealed in the folds of her robes. "From what you've previously reported, is this girl supposed to be dead?"_

 _"That she was. According to the Z Sternritter's testimony, the girl died and was reanimated as a zombie," said Kurotsuchi. "I assumed she'd died again with Gigi's demise. Apparently I was mistaken."_

 _"How do you mean?"_

 _Kyoraku clarified. "This picture was taken two weeks ago."_

 _All of the captains stared in confusion. "I don't get it. How'd she survive? And where is she?" Toshiro asked._

 _Mayuri pointed at the remaining photos. "Those photos were taken in Karakura Town."_

 _Suddenly the vibe in the room changed. Toshiro scowled as he stared at Bambi's picture. "Is she there to take revenge on Ichigo or Uryu?"_

 _"More importantly…" Soi-Fon interrupted. "How'd you get those photos to begin with? I was under the assumption the Vandenreich destroyed most of our surveillance bugs in the World of the Living to keep us blind."_

 _Mayuri merely shrugged. "I've my own ways of gathering intelligence. As the Stealth Force's commander, I'd assume you'd understand the necessity of keeping my methods hush-hush."_

 _Kyoraku put the photo down and clapped his hands, bringing the conversation back on track. "How Captain Kurotsuchi acquired this information is irrelevant. What matters is what our response to this development will be."_

 _Byakuya's scowl deepened. He couldn't believe that Kyoraku was seriously pondering not taking the most obvious course of action. "She is an enemy of the Soul Society and the murderer of many Soul Reapers. She must be taken into custody and brought to trial as a war criminal to be executed."_

 _"Were it only that simple, Captain Kuchiki," Kyoraku shook his head. "I'm afraid that if we do, we'll be making a new enemy."_

 _Soi-Fon's scowl turned into a glare. "Head-Captain! Why on earth would we not arrest her?" she demanded to know._

 _Kyoraku pulled out another photograph. "Because she's not just a Sternritter." He held up the photo of her kissing a certain Substitute Soul Reaper. "She's also Ichigo Kurosaki's girlfriend."_

 _Silence filled the room as everyone stared at the photo in shock. Byakuya's eyes narrowed, trying to figure out the situation. "Could Ichigo not know her true identity?"_

 _"No," Kurotsuchi said. "He's fully aware of who she is. Apparently she's the long-lost daughter of one of his friends. They became close and from what I've gathered Ichigo has forgiven her."_

 _"That figures," Shinji said while scratching the back of his head. "He always did have a problem of trusting people. Still though," he put a hand to his chest and rubbed his wound through his bandages, the memory of being blasted coming back to him. "Way to pick your women, Ichigo…"_

 _"So then…" Kyoraku put the photo down and folded his hands. "I am fully aware of what she's done and I know that our laws our clear. She is our enemy and our fallen brothers demand blood. But I know that Ichigo will not take us capturing his girlfriend lying down. We all know how he is," he pointed out, his eye glancing over to Captain Kuchiki. "And we all know the depths he'll go to in order to save a friend. He barely knew Lieutenant Kuchiki for two months and we all remember the hell he raised."_

 _"Do you think he'll try to stop us?" Toshiro asked._

 _"That is almost certainly the case."_

 _"Then I will mobilize the Stealth Force," Soi-Fon suggested. "We can capture her with discretion. Ichigo will never know."_

 _"He's not dumb, Soi-Fon," Shinji interjected. "He'll know it was you. And take it from me: this girl's no pushover."_

 _"I don't care," Soi-Fon said scathingly. "I don't care if she is Ichigo Kurosaki's girlfriend. This girl helped almost destroy the Soul Society and she must pay!"_

 _"I agree." All eyes turned to Byakuya, who closed his eyes and sighed. "She is murderer of countless Soul Reapers, stole Captain Komamura's Bankai and is responsible for his absence. It does not matter whose bed she shares," he said bluntly. When he opened his eyes, they saw the man's eyes show cold steel. "She must be brought to justice. We cannot turn a blind eye, no matter what the consequences. If Ichigo feels compelled to repeat the actions he committed, we will be ready for him this time."_

 _Kyoraku gave a nod, understanding where the man was coming from. And he knew that if Yamamoto was still alive, he wouldn't hesitate to bring the full wrath of the Soul Society down on one criminal's head, consequences be damned. "Then we're all in agreement?" he asked. "All in favor?"_

 _"Me," Soi-Fon and Byakuya said simultaneously._

 _"I agree with this plan," Kurotsuchi grinned. "A chance to study another Sternritter is always a grand opportunity. And if we execute Ichigo for interfering then I'll get to dissect his body as well!"_

 _Shinji and Toshiro looked at each other before giving the Head-Captain a reluctant nod. They both didn't want to poke the tiger that was Ichigo but they couldn't let this injustice pass._

 _"I'm down with this too," said Kenpachi, who'd been surprisingly silent. When everyone looked at the man, they saw a huge grin on his face. "If we kidnap his girlfriend, then that means I get to fight him again. And I know how strong he's become…" his grin widened at the thought of fighting Ichigo at the height of his power. "How the hell could I ever turn that down?"_

 _Kyoraku nodded before turning to Soi-Fon. "Very well then. Captain Soi-Fon, deploy the Stealth Force…"_

Sitting back in his chair, Kyoraku turned to look at a photo of his old friend, the now deceased Ukitake. "Jushiro, why do I get the feeling we just stepped into something messy?"

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

 **Karakura Town**

Bambietta was in a game store, on a mission to buy a game for her brother. His birthday was coming up soon and she had some ideas of which games he liked. However, she was stuck between two choices and was trying to make up her mind about which was better.

Finally, she made her choice and walked out of the shop with her prize. Turning on the sidewalk, she headed for Ichigo's house. She got a call from him telling her that he and their friends were at his house celebrationg Orihime and Uryu's relationship. Bambietta smiled at the thought of Orihime happy again, her guilt towards making her feel sadness at Ichigo's rejection all but gone.

When Bambietta stopped to adjust her hat, she froze. The air shuddered and she became aware of a presence. Seeing the crowded street, Bambietta did her best to remain calm and continued walking, sharply observing her surroundings. She knew that presence anywhere. It was that of a Soul Reaper. ' _Shit! How'd they find me?'_ she thought to herself as she hurried along.

As she kept walking, Bambietta's tuned senses recognized the person who'd arrived. "Great. It's that bitch," she sighed. "I thought BG9 blew her to bits during the battle? Long live the queen bee, I guess…" Her heart started to pound in her chest as she detected more assassins, the net slowly closing in around her.

Bambietta pondered her options. If she wanted to, she could lead them to a part of town that would make fighting disadvantageous to the Soul Reapers. ' _Plus, my Blut Vene would make their swords and daggers useless and I could take them out.'_

But she knew she was playing with an empty hand. Even if she did fight off the assassins, more of the Soul Society would arrive and things would get ugly fast. And in the worst case scenario, her mother and brother might somehow get caught in the crossfire. And worse, if she sent out a phonecall or a burst of spirit energy for help, then the Soul Reapers would know about Ichigo and Kisuke protecting her. She may have been hotblooded but she was no fool. She had to keep up the appearance of a broken, powerless Quincy.

She had to play along and surrender. But like hell was she planning on dying by the Soul Society's judgement. At one point she may have considered it but after finding redemption from Ichigo and her mother and had found solace in her new life and friends, she wanted to live.

But the Soul Society didn't have to know that…

She continued to walk and led her followers to an abandoned building. As soon as she was inside, she heard the command be given.

"CAPTURE HER NOW!"

The old, dusty windows of the building shattered when the assassins swooped in. In an instant Bambietta found herself surrounded with nowhere to retreat. She raised her arms in feigned resistance but two men came up from behind and grabbed her arms, holding her down. "Let me go, you bastards!" she shouted, feeling humiliated having to give in like this.

Clapping caught her attention. Turning her head, Bambietta saw Soi-Fon standing in the doorway of the building, her eyes filled with venom as she stared at the girl. "Well, well. So we meet at last. The last of Yhwach's killers." She made a hand motion to her men to force the teen to her knees. "I never imagined that one of the Sternritter managed to crawl out of the rubble in the Soul Society." Walking over to Bambietta, Soi-Fon knelt down and grabbed her by the chin, tilting her head up so they could look eye-to-eye. "I don't know how you escaped the Soul Society and made it here to the World of the Living. As an assassin, I suppose I should congratulate you for avoiding us for so long." Her grip on Bambi's chin tightened and her face twisted with disgust and anger. "But now your days of hide-and-seek are over. You're wanted in the Soul Society for the crimes against you. And believe me, I look forward to seeing Central 46 carry out your sentence after I deliver you back to the Soul Society," she said with a smirk that showed her contempt for the Quincy.

Bambietta could not take the smirk and decided to give Soi-Fon an attitude adjustment. Leaning her head back, she thrust herself forward and smash her forehead into Soi-Fon's face.

"Gah!" Soi-Fon cried out, stumbling back while holding her nose, blood pouring down her fingers. She looked up to see Bambietta give her the exact same smirk. Wanting to remind Bambietta the position she was in, she swept in and kicked Bambi in the stomach.

"Urgh!" went Bambi, reeling from the kick. It took all of her willpower to not lose her lunch and puke, although she did consider ruining Soi-Fon's pants. She could have activated her Blut Vene and let Soi-Fon break her foot but decided to take the hit. She needed to play the part of helpless victim.

Looking down at the blood on her hand, Soi-Fon seethed with hatred. Grabbing Bambietta by the hair, she yanked her head up and took pleasure as the girl cried out in pain. "If I get the order to execute you, I want you to know I'm going to kill you as slowly and as painfully as I can. And believe me, I'm going to enjoy it." She looked up at one of her men and scowled. "Take her away."

As the men opened a Senkaimon and dragged Bambietta towards it, Bambi turned her head and gave Soi-Fon one last burn. "If I was killed by you, I'd be so embarrassed." Soi-Fon hissed as she followed Bambi and her men through the portal. She was supposed to deliver the Sternritter to the captains but nobody said she couldn't smack her a few times while they were taking her through the Precipice World…

No sooner did the portal close did a figure rush into the building, realizing she was too late. "Dammit!" Yoruichi cursed. She felt the sudden absence of Bambietta's spiritual pressure and realized too late that it was the Stealth Force boxing her in, preparing to strike. She'd rushed from the shop with one of Kisuke's Kidō cloaks to hide her presence but was too little too late.

Turning away, she ran quickly back to the shop. She had to find Kisuke and do it fast. She knew that Bambi could handle herself for a time but that was not the only thing she was concerned about. If Ichigo knew that Bambietta, the girl he loved, had been taken by the Soul Society to face execution…

Yoruichi shuddered at the thought and ran faster.

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Ichigo's House**

"WHAAAAAAAT?!" both Rukia and Renji yelled in shock. "ORIHIME'S WITH URYU?"

The Quincy pushed his glasses and frowned. "Is that a problem?" he asked, Orihime sitting next to him while holding his hand.

"No, it's just…" Renji slumped. "Dammit, I'm out a lot of money now…"

"So Ichigo, tell us," Rukia said while enjoying the satisfaction of Renji handing over a bag filled with coins over to her, "You said you got a new girlfriend. We gonna meet her?"

Ichigo scratched the back of his head nervously. He'd didn't know how his friends would take to him being with Bambi and had tried to be as vague as possible in giving them the details. "I don't think she'll be over, Rukia. She said she had to go buy a birthday present for her brother, Kaoru."

"Aww! C'mon, Ichigo. I'm interested in seeing who finally got you to stack acting like a wuss," Renji grinned.

"Hey!"

Everyone laughed as they continued to eat and drink. In addition to Uryu and Orihime, Chad had also come to see his friends. Their party was interrupted though, when Rukia's cell phone went off. Renji scowled. "I thought you had that set to silent?" he asked.

"I never said that. But I told them only to call me if it was an emergency." Rukia flipped it open and hit answer. "Lieutenant Kuchiki."

The room went silent as Rukia spoke with the other voice on the phone. After a few minutes Rukia simply said yes and hung up the phone. "Who was that?" Ichigo asked.

"Good news, Ichigo!" Rukia said cheerfully. "That was from the Head-Captain Kyoraku! He wanted to inform me that the last of the Sternritter has been captured!"

The room went quiet as everyone processed what she just said. Uryu's eyes went wide and Orihime gasped in horror, Chad turning pale as well. Rukia saw everyone's panicked expressions and became confused. "What's wrong? I'd thought you'd all be happy," she told them. "They told me that the girl was hiding here in Karakura Town. She must have been gunning for you and Uryu, Ichigo."

But all that was on Ichigo's mind was a certain dark-haired girlfriend of his, who was now a captive of the Soul Society. To Rukia and Renji's shock, his hands balled into fists and he let out a scream of rage.

"Bambi! NO!"

To be continued

 _ **Bambietta's Life as a Schoolgirl  
**_ **Yoruichi's Payment**

Bambietta gives her all the details with a red face. Yoruichi had been on her case and really wanted the details, her being the perverted cat she is. After Bambietta's steamy stories including the waterbed one, Yoruichi got a little wet herself.

"That's my student. I knew he had talent, but wow. It was about time he unleashed his hidden lizard to rampage," the werecat said with a grin.

Bambietta, still having a red face with steam coming out of her ear from the story she told her. "Did I really have to be that descriptive?" she asks while she now felt a certain urge between her legs.

"Of course! Just hearing Ichigo going all out like that makes me shiver." Yoruichi shivers and was silent for a minute and then asked "Any chance you two want a threesome?"

Bambietta snapped out of heated thoughts hearing that. "Oh hell no!"

Yuroichi smiled in amusement "He can't resist my inner kitty." she says shaking her hips pissing Bambietta off.

Yuroichi raised her hands defensively "Calm down. I'm just teasing."

After a few more talks and her check ups, Bamnietta turns to leave. She then hears Yuroichi behind her "Give it some thought. I'm sure it will make him very happy." she says grinning.

Bambietta turned back to her "Over my dead body!"


	19. Chapter 19

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. **

_Chapter Nineteen_

 **Ichigo's House**

"WHAT?!" Rukia shouted in shock, leaping off the couch. "SHE'S YOUR GIRLFRIEND? ICHIGO, ARE YOU INSANE?!"

Ichigo was seething in rage. He'd assumed that the Soul Society had presumed Bambi as dead along with the rest of the Sternritter after Gigi killed her the second time. His hands shook with anger. After all Bambietta had endured, trying her hardest to live a normal life after she'd been so cruelly treated, to end up captured by the Soul Society was something Ichigo could not allow.

He reached for Rukia's clothes and violently shook her. "OPEN THE SENKAIMON!" he shouted into her face. "I'M GOING AFTER HER!"

Renji quickly put himself between Ichigo and Rukia, forcing him to let go. "Ichigo, think about what you're saying!" he insisted. "She's a Sternritter! She's killed hundreds of Soul Reapers and-"

"I DON'T CARE!" Ichigo shouted back, growing angrier by the second. "She's suffered enough!" Clenching his teeth, he remembered Bambi telling him of her friends' brutal betrayal and Ryuken's attempted murder. "She's was killed by her own comrades! Twice! And she's worked hard to make up for what she's done!"

Both of the Soul Reapers in front of him were confused by Ichigo's words, not knowing Bambietta as well as he did. However, they could see from the fiery rage in Ichigo's eyes that he truly cared for this girl. Maybe even more than he did for them.

Renji looked over at the others. "Is she his girlfriend? And what'd he mean when he said she was killed?"

Orihime was the first to speak up. "Ichigo's right! Bambi is…" she struggled to say "a good person" but that was a little difficult, "she's our friend!"

Uryu's face showed hatred towards the pair. "Bambietta was murdered by her comrades after she lost to Captain Komamura. After that, she was turned into a zombie and got wrecked by one of Mayuri's zombie-Arrancars. She was killed by Gigi shortly after. Kisuke found her and brought her back to life. She's actually the daughter of Ichigo's boss, Ikumi."

"She's been living here in Karakura Town with us." Chad crossed his arms. "I know that she's…not an easy person to get along with," he added, noting her violent tendencies. "But she's our friend."

"Open the Senkaimon!" Ichigo ordered. "I have to stop them from killing her!"

Renji looked conflicted. He cared for Ichigo and knew that this girl meant the world to him, seeing the same fire he once had when he went to save Rukia. However, he knew his duty as a Soul Reaper and knew that the Sternritter had crimes to answer.

However, Rukia made the decision for him when she drew her zanpakuto. "Alright, Ichigo. I'll open it for you."

Her boyfriend blinked in surprise. "Rukia, are you sure?"

The lieutenant nodded. She knew that her duty but after all she'd been through with Ichigo, she knew that Ichigo would not rest until he'd saved her. "It's the right thing to do." She stabbed her sword into the air and turned it. "Unlock."

Nothing happened.

Blinking in surprise, Rukia tried again. "Unlock. Unlock!" she tried again and again. "It won't open!"

Renji drew Zabimaru and tried to open it himself but achieved similar results. "What's going on?! Why can't we open a Senkaimon?"

Rukia glanced over at Ichigo and put two and two together. "They must have initiated an emergency shut-down on the Precipice World."

Ichigo and his friends stared in disbelief. "They can do that?! How?"

"It's something that is considered as a last resort. They cut off the Soul Society from the World of the Living by suspending all access to the Precipice World."

"Why didn't they do this when Aizen tried to invade?" Chad pointed out.

"The plan was that if we were on the verge of losing, we'd retreat back to the Soul Society and seal it off. However, only the Head-Captain can authorize it and after he was taken down by Aizen, there was nobody left to give the order," Renji explained.

Looking at the floor, Rukia pondered about how this happened. "If they knew she was here, then they know Ichigo is close to her. They must've closed off the Precipice World to keep you out of the Soul Society."

Uryu narrowed his eyes. "Why is this considered a last resort? If that was the case, why didn't they do that when they brought you back for execution?"

"Because at the time, my brother thought Ichigo was either dead or powerless and there was no cause for alarm. The idea that a Substitute would try to invade the Soul Society was inconceivable and the other captains would not have considered any of you as legitimate threats. However, now that Ichigo has become so powerful they can't afford to take that chance. And there's a drawback to using it. No Soul Reaper in the entire world may return to the Soul Society now nor can any enter in order to kill Hollows. There are far reaching consequences because of that."

The four Humans went pale at the notion, knowing that this was serious. "How long can they keep Ichigo out?"

"Forty-eight hours."

Ichigo's fists tightened more. "They're going to kill her, aren't they?"

Rukia and Renji looked at each other before grimly nodding.

Putting his combat pass to his chest, Ichigo popped out of his body, his Human form tumbling back onto the couch. Storming past the two lieutenants, Ichigo headed for the door. "Ichigo, where are you going?!"

"To the one man who can help me."

 _ **Minutes later…  
**_ **Urahara Shop; Underground Chamber**

Kisuke was waiting for them as the group climbed down the ladder. "That didn't take long," the shopkeeper noted. "I assume you know about our little firecracker's dilemma?"

"You knew?" Ichigo glared accusingly at the man. "When?"

The former captain threw up his hands defensively. He knew not to push Ichigo's buttons when he was like this. "Easy there, Ichigo. I'm not your enemy." He gestured to Yoruichi, who walked up beside him. "Yoruichi sensed Soi-Fon's presence and tried to save Bambietta. She was too late however and alerted me as soon as she was taken. I sensed Ms. Kuchiki's and Mr. Abarai's presences at your house and knew one of them would have a slip of the tongue." He stepped forward and pulled out a syringe. "But first, let's make sure our eavesdropper doesn't get the drop on us."

Before anyone could react, Kisuke walked over to Uryu and jabbed the needle into his neck, injecting white fluid into his body. "YOW!" the Quincy yelped. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Making sure Mayuri isn't spying on us," Kisuke merely explained.

Uryu's eyes widened. His memory flashed back to Hueco Mundo, when Mayuri Kurotsuchi saved him and Renji from Szayelapporo. He remembered that Mayuri told him of the surveillance bacteria he'd been infected with. So much had happened that he completely forgot to have Mayuri remove it, merely assuming the bacteria died off after so many years. "Then…you mean-"

"Yep." Kisuke pulled out the needle and pocketed the used syringe. "That's how he knew. He was spying on you and Ichigo and found out about Bambietta. I gave you an injection to neutralize it. Think of it as a vaccination for Mayuri's bacteria."

Uryu's anger had never been greater. Not only had his negligence lead to this disaster, but there was no telling what other private moments Mayuri had spied upon. "Damn him…"

"Kisuke, Rukia and Renji can't summon a Senkaimon," Ichigo explained.

"Yes, I thought as much. They'll want to sentence and execute Bambi quickly. They learned their mistake from prolonging capital punishment and decided on pushing criminals through the express lane," Kisuke lamented. He gestured to the large monolith in the middle of the chamber, his Senkaimon. "Sadly I can't open my portal either."

"What?!" Ichigo shouted angrily.

Keeping a smirk on his face, Kisuke snapped his fan open. "But…there is always another way…"

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Soul Society**

The chains around Bambietta's wrists clinked as she was dragged through the Seireitei, her destination Central 46. She looked around and saw all the construction going on as she was led, completely surrounded by the Stealth Force, all with weapons drawn and pointed at her.

"Surprised?" Soi-Fon taunted as she led Bambietta towards what she knew would be the girl's death.

"Kinda. Last time I saw this place, it was a wreck," Bambietta admitted, hoping that Soi-Fon wouldn't punch her again. At least, not before she could slip her bindings off.

Soi-Fon turned her head and scowled. "It's proof that we prevailed. You Quincies did everything you could but in the end it was we who wiped you and your pathetic race out."

Bambietta had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. ' _Bitch, please. Ichigo was the one who saved you guys. You aren't capable of saving yourselves.'_ She thought about voicing her rebuttal but decided that getting into an unnecessary fight wasn't worth it. Keeping silent, the girl continued to follow Soi-Fon to Central 46, hoping that Ichigo was okay…

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Squad 12; R &D Dept.**

In the dark labs of Mayuri's squads, several scientists walked down a hallway. Along the right of them were their captain's newest test subjects

Within each of the large vats of fluid was Mayuri's spoils of war, the bodies of the Sternritters, collected by Mayuri after the battle had ended. Like the Arrancars, Mayuri was interested in the Vandenreich's warriors and was having a field day experimenting on them. Askin, Buzz-B, Nanana, and countless others were all lined up on the walls. Mayuri had even pieced together the bodies of Mask de Masculine and Äs Nödt.

"Did you hear?" one of the scientist said. "They just caught the last of the Sternritter."

"So I've heard. Captain Soi-Fon is taking her to Central 46 where they'll sentence her to execution."

"Good riddance to bad rubbish," the scientist scoffed. "After all the hell they put us through, they all deserve to burn." He stopped in one of the Sternritters in stasis. "I don't see why the captain brought their bodies back. I think they should all be disposed of."

The other scientist shrugged. "You know how Captain Kurotsuchi is. Just like the Arrancars he wants to see if he can turn them into his personal corpse-squad."

"Yeah, well I bet Captain Kurotsuchi is going to be happy when this Bambietta joins his collection," the man noted, staring at the dead body in the vat before turning away.

As the men left the corridor, they failed to notice that the Sternritter they'd been speaking in front of, a certain antenna-head girl, opened an eye and smiled.

"Bambi, eh?"

To be continued

 _ **Bambietta's Life as a Schoolgirl  
Special Protection**_

The lovers sat on the edge of the bed, collecting their clothes from the floor and putting them on while the morning sun began to peek out of the horizon. Ichigo and Bambietta had spent another passionate night of steamy sex before falling asleep in each other's arms.

As he put his pants on, Ichigo noticed Bambietta reaching into her bag and pulled out a bottle of morning-after pills, popping two into her mouth. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the cartoonish picture of a certain shopkeeper on the label. "Kisuke gave you birth control pills?" he asked. "I thought your mom already gave you some."

"She did but…" Bambietta's eyes looked downward to Ichigo's "little zanpakuto" and she grinned. "Kisuke and Yoruichi gave them to me after we had a little talk. I figured it'd be safer to use them than normal pills."

"How come?"

 _"Here you go!" Kisuke tossed her the bottle after another of Bambietta's usual check-ups. "You'll probably be needing these."_

 _Bambi caught the bottle and raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Birth-control pills? I don't need these. My mom already gave me some."_

 _"That's all well and good. But when it comes to Ichigo, you'd better be prepared," Yoruichi told her, sticking her head into the room through the opened door._

 _"What's that supposed to mean?"_

 _Sitting down in a chair, Kisuke looked at Bambi with an amused nod. "Well Ichigo's got so much spirit energy now that he's unlocked his latent potential that it tends to leak out wherever it can. Even in his sperm."_

 _Bambietta just stared. "You're telling me that Ichigo has super-cum?"_

 _"To sum it up? Yeah," Yoruichi chuckled. "His little soldiers might be stronger than normal medicine. So you're better off with whatever Kisuke gives you." She gave the girl a knowing smile. "Imagine what your mother would do to you both if she found out Ichigo knocked you up."_

 _The scared look on the Sternritter's face told them she got the message._

"Oh, you know…" Bambietta said as she pocketed the bottle. "Protection. For us both."


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _Chapter Twenty_

 **Soul Society; Squad One**

The wind was high as Head-Captain Kyoraku stood out on the balcony of his office, staring up at the sky, much like his mentor had done often when they were in the middle of a crisis. However, Kyoraku couldn't feel at ease by staring off at the distance. It only made the restlessness he was feeling grow inside his heart, like a parasite of fear.

The man didn't move when he heard the doors open up. He heard Nanao bicker with the newcomer, stating that he should have knocked respectfully and asked permission to enter the Head-Captain's chambers. Not wanting Nanao to start a fight, the man turned his head. "It's alright, Nanao. Let him in."

Footsteps walked up behind him. Kyoraku continued to stare off into the distance as he waited for his visitor to speak. "So what can I do for you, Captain Hirako?"

Shinji crossed his arms and frowned disapprovingly at his leader, narrowing his eyes. "He's coming. I hope you know that."

Kyoraku was silent. There was no debating the point. He knew Shinji was right on this.

"I realize that the Soul Society has had its fair share of problems. And in the past recent years they've come back to haunt you guys. But this…" he shook his head, his frown deepening, "you've really poked the tiger. I hope you know that."

"I'm aware. But I've made my decision."

"You realize that by shutting down the Senkaimon, you've pretty much doomed any Soul Reaper who's in need of help? Or any Soul that's about to be devoured by a Hollow?"

"I'm aware. It was a necessary move," Kyoraku said, still not turning around.

Shinji was starting to get angry. Kyoraku was acting more and more like the old man. "You do know that Ichigo has the craziest luck in the world? And he's got Kisuke Urahara with him. It doesn't matter what measures you and Mayuri have taken. He's probably got ten ways around it. Head-Captain, can't we just let this go?" he asked. He knew that he agreed back at the meeting but he still had serious misgivings. "For Ichigo's sake?"

Kyoraku tipped his hat over his eyes, a deep scowl spreading across his face. "If it were the old me, I'd have agreed with no problems. But things are different now. I've a duty to see justice done to the people who've caused so much heartache and turmoil. And this girl is the only one left to take the fall. Also," he turned his head slightly, "if what you told me is true, didn't she blow you to kingdom come?"

"I don't remember buying her dinner first," Shinji joked, unable to help himself, cracking a smile. Regaining his composure, Shinji got serious again. "Okay, but why'd you let Rukia and Renji go to the World of the Living?" He already knew the answer but wanted to hear it from his leader's lips. "Why didn't you tell them that Ichigo was dating the girl?"

"Even though they're both lieutenants and know their duty to the Seireitei, their faith in Ichigo is greater than any sense of obligation to us," Kyoraku pointed out. "Despite the damage she's caused, the two would have sided with Ichigo regardless if they knew the truth beforehand. This way, we could preemptively thwart any rescue attempt on their part. And to have two venerable lieutenants, both seen as war heroes to the remainder of the squads, go rogue to protect the Sternritter would cause a schism in the Soul Society. We've barely managed to come back from the brink, Captain Hirako. For Old Man Yama's sake, I cannot let that chaos run rampant. I feel for Ichigo. I'm aware of how far he's willing to go for the people he cares about. But this is bigger than him."

Turning around, Kyoraku gave Shinji a stern glare with his one good eye. Shinji realized just how much the responsibility of being Head-Captain had changed him from the jolly, easygoing captain he knew one hundred years ago. "This girl needs to pay for what she's done. I cannot simply ignore everything that has happened simply so that Ichigo can keep his prize. He needs to learn to accept Bambietta's fate or I will teach him that he cannot keep acting brash simply because he thinks he can."

A shiver ran down Shinji's spine. It'd been a very long time since he'd seen Kyoraku so serious. It was obvious to him that there was no way to change Kyoraku's mind about this. Sighing, the Vizard captain turned away. "Fine. But when Ichigo comes crashing through the roof, I'm giving you a huge 'I told you so', Head-Captain."

"Duly noted."

Turning away in defeat, Shinji walked away from the man. As he reached the door he turned to the observing Nanao. "Is it just me or is he kind of a grouch now?" he teased.

"Under normal circumstances, the Head-Captain would've agreed with you wholeheartedly," Nanao noted. "But…" she looked over at Kyoraku, who had returned his steadfast vigilant watch, "I think he wants to see Head-Captain Yamamoto avenged."

Sighing, Shinji pushed the door open. "I'm gonna head over to Squad Ten to see what Captain Hitsugaya thinks of this. He seemed to have misgivings like I had back at the meeting. Let me know when things get crazy. I want to be here to give him the hardest 'I told you so' of his life."

"But…if you both thought otherwise, why'd you agree to execute her in the first place?" Nanao pointed out.

"Because in a way, he's right. But that doesn't mean I have to l like it. Besides, this isn't a democracy. We're a military, Nanao. He'd already made up his mind and what he says goes."

Nanao watched him leave, the door closing loudly behind him.

"I'm afraid he's right," Kyoraku spoke up.

"About what?"

"He's going to give me a veeeery big 'I told you so'. I just know it…"

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Central 46**

Bambietta was dragged through the central gates and marched across the bridge. Soi-Fon lead her down what seemed to be an endless flight of stairs, making sure to jerk the chain around her neck every time Bambietta kept slowing down. Every now and again she would rough Bambi up a bit with a smack to the side of the head or an elbow to the side. Soi-Fon wanted payback for the bloody nose from earlier and felt that turnabout was fair play.

By the time they reached the main chambers of Central 46, Bambi looked terrible. Soi-Fon had given her a black eye and a small dribble of blood leaked from a cut above the eye. In addition, her sides hurt terribly and her leg throbbed from where Soi-Fon kicked her.

All in all, Bambi was pissed off.

It took all of her restraint to keep herself from unleashing her dark side. She longed to free herself and reap vengeance upon the assassin. She grit her teeth when Soi-Fon backhanded her again. ' _With her attitude, she'd have made a good Sternritter…'_ With all the Reishi in the Seireitei she could easily heal her wounds. But she held herself in check. For now.

"We will now pass judgement!" The sound of the gavel being slammed on the table snapped Bambietta out of her thoughts and focused back to the elders.

One of the 46 members spoke, "You are Bambietta Basterbine. The former E Sternritter and the one who cost the Thirteen Court Guard Squads Captain Komamura!"

Bambietta was confused., "What do you mean by 'cost you'? Doggy was the one who bashed me in our figh-"

"Silence! You will not show disrespect! You will stay silent until you are given permission to talk!" another member spoke in rage.

The vein on Bambi's forehead twitched . _'Gee thanks. You guys are pretty much no different from Yhwach with your remarks.'_ She nodded for them to continue. _'What's the point in stating everything I did when it's so obvious they're going to give me a death penalty?'_

"Furthermore, you are charged with the murder of many of our seated officers and destroyed large parts of the Soul Society. We know that you not only evaded justice from the Soul Society but with Kisuke Urahara's help as well."

Bambietta's eyes widened ' _How did they know that?_ '

"Not only you escaped to the human world, but also fooled the Deputy Soul Reaper, Ichigo Kurosaki, by telling him lies. You knew good and well what you were doing. You fabricated a story about being the long-lost daughter of one of his associates to get his guard down in order to win his trust. Our records show how these claims are false and you've been lying to the humans since the moments you came there."

 _'Lying? These people think I lied about my whole life?!'_ Bambietta gritted her teeth hearing their false claims.

"Worst of all, you tricked Ichigo Kurosaki into thinking you were in love with a savage creature such as yourself as well as convince the other Humans of your "reform". Your insolent Quincy trickery is abominable. When your sentence if carried out, none of them will remember who you are. And that part of our judgment is final!"

Bambietta had enough. She was a pot on the stove about to boil over. "Listen here,you pig-headed bastards! I don't know who told you these so called 'false claims' but I will not stay silent and let you do that to my friends! And saying I tricked Ichigo?! Sounds to me like you assholes are dumber than roc-" She was cut off by Soifon slamming her knee in Bambietta's side.

"You will keep your mouth shut, girl!" Soi-Fon hissed.

The gavel came down again. "Gag her! She has no right to speak after all the evil she's committed."

Bambietta growled as the assassin gagged her with a rag, her eyes almost glowing with anger. While Soi-Fon glowered down at the girl, the head judge for Central 46 continued banging on his gavel before delivering the council's final verdict. "Bambietta Basterbine. For the crime of mass murder and threatening the balance to the worlds, we hereby sentence you to death!"

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Kisuke's Underground Chamber**

"Well now, this is a pickle," Kisuke noted as his Senkaimon sparked but fizzled out, unable to connect with the Precipice World. "It looks like the Soul Society has done a lot to keep itself isolated. I can't open the gate on my end."

"I have an idea."

All eyes turned to Ichigo. "There's only one way we can get to the Soul Society without using a Senkaimon."

Rukia gasped. "Ichigo, you don't mean-"

Ichigo's nod stopped her words. "Yes. We'll enter the Soul Society through Hueco Mundo."

Renji was apprehensive of the idea. "What are you thinking? How would entering Soul Society through Hueco Mundo work?"

"I thought we'd ask Nel."

"Nel?" asked everyone.

"Yeah. She went back to Hueco Mundo with Grimmjow after the war ended."

Kisuke flipped his fan. "Bravo, Ichigo. I was just about to suggest that very idea myself. You're a lot smarter than I give you credit for."

"You're lucky I'm too pissed to punch you."

"Save it for the captains," Kisuke chuckled. He activated his Garganta. Before anyone could stop him, Ichigo charged through the abyss. "I suppose we should all follow him," he noted, gesturing for the others to hurry after him. After Ichigo's friends entered the portal he gestured to Yoruichi, who winked.

"And away we go!"

To be continued

 _ **Bambietta's Life as a Schoolgirl  
**_ _ **The Winner of the Bet**_

While the friends dashed through the void of the Garganta, Rukia and Renji hung back, discussing the news they'd just been told. "So Ichigo is really in love with her?" Renji asked.

"Looks like it," Rukia said. "I've never seen him this determined before. And he risked everything to rescue me."

"...Think they did it?"

"Look at how serious he is. Of course they've had sex."

Ichigo turned his head and glared at the two. "I can hear you two, you know! My sex life is none of your business!"

Rukia couldn't help but crack a smile. "Guess that answers the question. Oh and Renji?"

"Yeah?"

"I won the bet, by the way."

Renji facepalmed. "Son of a bitch!"


	21. Chapter 21

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. **

_Chapter Twenty-One  
_ **Pathway in the Garganta**

Everyone followed behind on two separate Reishi paths. Ichigo lead half the group on his path, while Kisuke on his own Reishi path with Yoruichi close behind as they made their way towards the Hollow realm. The path Ichigo made was surprisingly thick and concentrated. Uryu was surprisingly impressed to say the least, remembering the last time they did this. "Wow Ichigo, seems your Reishi path has actually improved since the last time you tried this. All that training we did in Kisuke's underground for the past few months weren't a waste."

Ichigo, even though he was in serious mode, cracked a small smile, "What did you expect? I didn't spend all that time with Squad Zero doing nothing. That whole time I was at the palace I was mainly focused on gaining full control of my spirit energy, and I only had enough time to learn a couple new techniques," Ichigo said, thinking back to his time with Squad Zero. Part of him wished he had more time to learn more about his newfound strength but the Vandenreich's second invasion put a halt to that. He had to drop his training immediately and rush back down to the Soul Society.

Ichigo continued, "Then during the past few months after the war, I decided to work on my swordsmanship and spent a little time to myself at Kisuke's learning new tricks and moves in my spare time when you and Bambietta weren't with me."

Kisuke hid a smile behind his fan and spoke in his usual amused voice. "He sure did! In fact, me and Tessai had to place all kinds of barriers around the training ground so Ichigo's enormous spiritual pressure wouldn't bring the whole shop down. Not to mention the massive earthquakes he would have caused. That would've been very bad if we didn't."

Everyone besides Yoruichi looked to the shopkeeper shocked and stared back towards Ichigo in shock, having never seen Ichigo fought after they went back to the Soul King's palace. Orihime told Chad and Uryu about Ichigo's fight with Yhwach when they got back to Karakura, though neither had a real understanding of Ichigo's full power. Rukia and Renji felt Ichigo's spirit energy skyrocket up in the castle, but vanish soon after. They guessed it was because Ichigo was in trouble when they finally caught up with him, their fears confirmed when they saw how despondent Ichigo had become following his defeat at Yhwach's hands. They couldn't ask about what caused Ichigo to lose his will to fight because of their job fixing the Soul Society for the past few months. However, seeing Ichigo now made them realize just how strong their friend had become.

Ichigo came close to blushing from Kisuke's words because he would have made a huge disaster in town. If it weren't for the preparations taken into account, Kisuke would have been right.

Chad, while running behind Ichigo, pointed out something up ahead when he saw a faint light which he guessed was the end of the Garganta, "I think that's our exit?"

Yoruichi nodded. "Alright everybody. Get ready to jump!" As the rift opened everybody jumped through it, the Reishi path crumbled away as it was no longer needed behind out of the Garganta from the sky, the whole group landed on the white sand of Hueco Mundo smoothly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my I present you Hueco Mundo… again!" Kisuke exclaimed while he and the others were dusting off some of the sand that got onto them when they landed.

Ichigo glared at the goofy shop keeper, "Again, you and your choice of entry. What's up with you and the high places, Kisuke?"

Kisuke unfolded his fan, "I could tell you, but let's not get off topic, shall we?" He looked around and saw the remains of Las Noches nearby. "We don't have a lot of time by my calculations. So let's go and ask an old friend of yours for help."

Ichigo motioned for everybody to follow him before dashing towards Las Noches. They eventually came to the same place where Ichigo, Orihime and Chad encountered the J Sternritter, Quilge. Making their way across the desert, Ichigo heard a voice come from out of nowhere.

"Ichigooooo!" A voice caught their attention. In a split second, a large dusty wind suddenly came alive and blew over the group before they felt a familiar presence. After the dust cloud cleared up, the group stared at the busty woman giving Ichigo a bonecrushing hug. Rukia couldn't help but notice that Ichigo wasn't struggling that much…

Despite enjoying how well-endowed the woman was with the tight embrace, Ichigo... still found it hard to breath from the hug-of-death. "H-hey, Nel. L-long time no see," Ichigo choked, trying to put air in his lugs. Even with all the training Ichigo did to increase his strength, his lungs and ribs were still weak to Nel's happy hugs.

Nel let Ichigo go after her satisfying hug. "It's great to see you too, Ichigo!" Her happy expression turned sad, "I tried to come and help you during the Yhwach crisis, but everyone was hurt very badly and I had to take care of them first. I'm really sorry that I couldn't do anything more, Ichigo." She looked down at the ground, feeling a little ashamed at not helping Ichigo more when she was with him.

Ichigo put his hand on her shoulder gently. The kind gesture snapped Nel out of her depression and she looked up. "You made the right call, Nel. Kisuke told me everything about what happened with that poison Sternritter. You did what you could and saved our friends. They really couldn't have gotten out of their without your help, Nel." Nel's eyes lit up and she beamed from Ichigo's praise.

Then Ichigo knew he had to get back to his original reason for coming here. "Nel, as much I would like to catch up with an old friend, I really need your help."

Nel could tell from Ichigo's expression, as well as everyone else's behind him, that this was serious. She stood up straight and nodded. "What do you need, Ichigo?"

While Ichigo was explaining the details, a few of his friends behind him were trying to comprehend the green-haired bombshell they were talking to. Rukia, while she was staring at Nel's chest with envious eyes, couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. She couldn't help but break the ice. "Wait, wait, wait...that's Nel? The same child we ran into a couple of years ago?"

Renji shook his head, enthralled by Nel's chest too. "I know I made that joke of Ichigo being popular with the girls, but I didn't mean it this literally. Damn!"

Kisuke flipped open his fan again to hide his grin. "With Ichigo, you can always expect a fun, bumpy ride," he chuckled.

After a few more minutes, Ichigo finished his story, telling her everything about Bambi and her plight. Nel was silent for a few moments, her head lowering and her eyes obscured by her green hair. When she looked up Ichigo saw tears running down her face. Ichigo panicked, thinking that he'd said something to hurt his friend. "Wait! Don't cry, Nel! I know I should have come and visited you after that mess happened but lots of things were happening and I-"

Nel's squeal stopped Ichigo. "That's a beautiful story!" She surprised Ichigo with a happy smile. "We were originally supposed to be enemies too back when you found me and my brothers during your rescue of Orihime. But you gave her a chance and you'er risking your life to protect her, just like you always protected me when I went into Los Noches with you and the others." she wiped the tears from her eyes and looked back to Ichigo with a dignified and determined look. "I will help you save her, Ichigo!"

Ichigo was happy for the help, but he couldn't help being a bit concerned. "Nel, I'm very happy for your help. But if you come with us, you will get dragged into another war and I don't want that for you." As he said that, he still saw the determined eyes in Nel, "But you still want to come anyway?"

Nel simply nodded, continuing to smile confidently. "I was an Espada, Ichigo. I'm more than capable of fighting Soul Reapers. And now I don't have to worry about turning back to my child self anymore." She gestured to the armband Kisuke made for her.

Ichigo smiled at her response. "Alright, then. Can you open us a Garganta into the Soul Society?" Nel nodded and turned around to begin opening the portal.

But before anything else happened, a fierce roar came out of nowhere. "KUROSAKI!"

Everyone followed the voice up in the moonlight sky. In the shadow of the crescent moon was the Espada, Grimmjow, with a sadistic grin on his face and a Gran Rey Cero in his hands. "YOU'RE MINE, BASTARD!" He roared out at the top of his lungs. The group was helpless to stop the Espada from unleashing the ultimate Cero down on their heads.

"Look out!" Uryu yelled out. He and the others scattered, save for Ichigo. Everyone, even Nel, noticed the scowl written all over Ichigo's face. Too agitated to deal with the nuisance of a homicidal Arrancar, he did something nobody say coming. Glaring up at the Espada, Ichigo grew his longsword and swatted the Gran Rey Cero right back at Grimmjow.

"What the hell?!" Grimmjow yelled in surprise about his most powerful Cero was just knocked right back at him like it was nothing...with just a wave of Ichigo's sword! The speed of the redirected attack caught Grimmjow off guard. Like in their very first encounter Grimmjow could only cross his arms in defense as the Cero blast engulfed him, disappearing in a large cloud of smoke.

The others looked at Ichigo in awe. Even Kisuke was impressed. He was fully aware of Ichigo's true potential but to bat away a Gran Rey Cero was stunning. ' _I hope you've realized what you're unleashing upon yourselves, Kyoraku…'_

Descending from the smoke, Grimmjow plummeted to the ground. Before he slammed into the sands like a meteor he had enough strength to land on his feet, dropping to one knee. The top half of his white outfit was torn, burns covering his chest. He'd endured the blast but it still took its toll. The idea of Ichigo countering his attack so easily made his blood boil with anger and he glared at the Substitute Soul Reaper in rage. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! I can't fucking believe this! How the hell is he this powerful?!" Slowly rising to his feet, Grimmjow reached for his zanpakuto.

An angry stomp halted Grimmjow's actions. His eyes widening in alarm, Grimmjow jumped back and snarled angrily, his rage growing at continuing to be caught off guard burning in his eyes. But when he looked at Ichigo, who was staring at the Espada from a few feet away, Grimmjow saw that the fire in Ichigo's eyes burned hotter.

Continuing to glare at the man, Ichigo spoke softly, though there was a hint of anger tinged in his tone. "Grimmjow,I'm not here to fight you yet. I came here to ask Nel to help me get into the Soul Society to save someone dear to me." Ichigo paused for a moment, knowing that time was of the essence and he couldn't mince words with Grimmjow. "Like I promised, we will fight each other another day. Just not right now for the moment, alright?."

Grimmjow was still angry from Ichigo's counterattack, more so that he wasn't even bothering to fight him like he was just a nuisance. But the look in Ichigo's eyes told him that this was not a fight he wanted to pick right now. As his injuries started to heal from his High-Speed Regeneration, he let go of his zanpakuto. "Fine. I'll let you slid this time. But next time you come back here, regardless of what reason, we are going to settle it. Once and for all!" Turning away from Ichigo and the observing group, Grimmjow disappeared with a burst of Sonido.

Ichigo sighed, grateful that he didn't have to fight before he even got to the Soul Society. "Seriously, he needs to find a hobby."

Uryu's hand went to his shoulder, the Quincy walking up to him from behind. "Let's forget it for now. We have to go."

Ichigo nodded and turned back to the others. "Alright. Is everybody ready?" His eyes glanced over at the crack in Nel's mask and had an idea. "Orihime? Can you fix Nel's mask? If she loses her armband she might turn back to a child at the worst possible moment like last time."

"Right!" Orihime summoned her sprites and quickly healed the crack in Nel's mask. Nel's eyes lit up as she was fixed and quickly discarded the armband, thanking Orihime for her help.

Ichigo smiled. "Ready, Nel?"

"For you, Ichigo? I was born ready?" Nel smiled. Waving her hand, she summoned a Garganta that led directly to the Soul Society."

As they leapt into the void, Rukia elbowed Kisuke gently. "Remind me again, why do we need Nel to open up a Garganta? Can't you do it from here?"

"Not necessarily," Kisuke said, glancing back at her. "The differences between the Gargantas Nel can use and the ones Mayuri and I employ are small but noticeable. Creating rips in dimensions is a Hollow's natural ability. My research into their technique could be considered a imitation at best. And since Mayuri copied my technique, he'll have measures to prevent me from opening a portal into the Soul Society from my end. But he clearly neglects Ichigo's ability to make friends, hence why we need Nel."

"Ah. Okay then." Rukia became weary and sighed as she continued to run. "Kisuke, between you and me, how do you think the Soul Society will react to us helping Ichigo?"

"We'll have to assume the worst," Kisuke admitted. "They will not take this lying down. The fact that they're willing to push this vendetta against the last remaining Sternritter is proof enough of how serious this is. Ichigo is prepared for the consequences, as are Orihime, Uryu and Chad. Yoruichi and I are used to being fugitives, of course. But what about you and Mr. Abarai?" Kisuke asked, raising an eyebrow. "You know your brother will not approve of your actions."

"I know. But Ichigo has always been there for us. Now we have to be there for him. I know my brother may try to stop us but I'm prepared for the consequences. And so is Renji."

Kisuke smiled reluctantly. He should've known how faithful Rukia was to Ichigo. Yet, hearing it only made him realize how little he took Ichigo's bonds of friendship for granted. "Fair enough." He saw the light at the end of the tunnel and frowned. "We're there."

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Central 46; Stairway**

"MOVE!" Soi-Fon yelled, pushing Bambi up the stairs. "Drag your feet all you like, girl. I'll drag you to the gallows myself if you don't hurry." The two were alone as Soi-Fon escorted Bambi to the execution grounds. Soi-Fon felt she didn't need an armed escort anymore, so smug was the captain.

"Oh wow…" Bambi rolled her eyes. "I'm in such a hurry to be executed. Should I skip my way there, Captain?" she mocked.

After hearing one verbal insult after another from the Sternritter, Soi-Fon decided that to practice her backhand. She struck Bambi in the back of her head, sending her sprawling onto the stairs, the girl landing with an "Ooof!"

"Don't test my patience, girl." Soi-Fon threatened, drawing Suzumebachi from her waist. Bambi's eye widened and she put her hands over her head to protect herself. "Not so high and mighty now, are you? And don't think Ichigo is going to save you. We've already taken measures to keep him out."

' _You guys know nothing about Ichigo,'_ Bambietta thought smugly, knowing that Ichigo would go through hell and high water to save the people he loves.

But Bambietta was never a damsel in distress and she didn't plan on starting now.

"You…think you're so smart," Bambietta mumbled as she shambled up the stairs. "But…there's one thing you've forgotten…"

"And what's that?"

Turning around, Bambietta held up her hands and showed the captain something.

"In the World of the Living, a hairpin is essential for any girl," Bambi smirked as her shackles fell from her wrists, her hairpin prominent in her fingers.

Soi-Fon gasped in alarm, drawing her sword. ' _She must've grabbed it from her hair when she put her hands over her head and picked the lock! How could I be that dumb!'_ She pointed her zanpakuto at Bambi and released her Shikai. "Don't think you'll escape girl! Sting all enemies to death: Suzumebachi!" Her blade transformed into a stinger and she lunged for the Quincy. "I'll execute you, here and now!"

 _Klang!_

Bambi held up her hand and easily stopped her weapon. Soi-Fon's Suzumebachi couldn't pierce Bambietta's Blut Vene however. Bambietta gave the captain a wicked smile as her hand clenched, making Soi-Fon curse from the pain in her fingers. "That was quite a number you did on me, bitch. You thought I was weak? You thought I just gave up?"

Soi-Fon was unprepared for this. She'd assumed that Bambietta had gone soft in her cozy life as a normal human. When Bambietta let go of her hand she moved to make another strike, only for Bambietta to disappear with a flash of Hirenkyaku. "Gckk!" she gagged as a chain wrapped around her neck, the same Seki-Seki chain that had been used to bind Bambi.

"Tough luck, Captain," Bambi mocked as she choked Soi-Fon. "You couldn't even take BG9. You're lucky I willingly gave myself up. If you'd hurt my mother or my brother," she leaned forward and whispered into Soi-Fon's ear, letting the captain hear the menace drip from her voice. "I'd have slaughtered each and every one of you pathetic Soul Reapers. And I'd have enjoyed ripping your guts out."

As cathartic as choking out the woman who beat her black and blue was, Bambi knew she couldn't waste any time. She had to escape before Soi-Fon could retalitate or call for help. Focusing her strength into Blut Arterie, she punched Soi-Fon in the back of her head, knocking her out. As Soi-Fon fell onto the stairs, Bambi spat on her. "That's for the black eye, bitch!" she sneered before running up the stairs.

"Now to get the hell out of here!"

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Squad Twelve; R &D Labs**

One of Mayuri's scientists walked down the path of vats containing the dead Sternritters. "Wonder what the captain plans on doing with these freaks?" he pondered as he passed by the vats containing Nanana and Mask de Masculine. Unfortunately for him and the rest of the R&D department, Mayuri had yet to unveil his overall plans for the Sternritter. Right now he was still focused on restarting Project Nemuri to create a new Nemu Kurotsuchi. "Don't know why he doesn't just dissect them. They deserve worse anyway…"

When he passed by a particular vat, however, he came to a dead stop. "What the hell?!" He could only stare in disbelief at the empty vat. "Where'd she go?" He looked around and saw no sign of the missing Sternritter. He did a head count of the remaining and found nobody else missing. "Did the captain take this one out to examine her?" He looked back at the empty glass in disbelief.

Then he saw a face in the reflection behind him. Terror gripped his heart when he saw the twisted smile and the evil eyes.

And in less than a second, the man didn't feel anything anymore…

To be continued


	22. Chapter 22

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. **

_Chapter Twenty-Two_

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Soul Society; Squad 10**

Shinji found the Squad 10 captain sitting in a chair outside his barracks, lounging around and taking in the sunshine. Before, Shinji would have noted how lazy this looked to the laymen, especially since Toshiro had always been so responsible. However, Shinji knew that Toshiro, along with his lieutenant, had suffered greatly during the war with the Quincies, even more than Shinji. "Not used to seeing you so relaxed," he chuckled as he took a seat next to the white-haired boy.

Toshiro turned his head and gave his fellow captain a soft smile. "Lieutenant Kotetsu's orders. My wounds haven't fully healed yet and I'm to take it easy until I've made a full recovery."

Sitting back in his chair Shinji patted the bandages on his chest where a certain someone blasted him. "Same. We got wrecked pretty bad, didn't we?" he laughed briefly before his expression hardened. "I don't think either of us will be ready by the time Ichigo comes."

"You really think he'll fight us?" Toshiro asked.

"You know better than to ask that question," Shinji answered back. "He's fought you once before to save someone he cares about. But this time it'll be different." His eyes narrowed as he stared at Toshiro. "Last time he came here woefully unprepared and only barely managed to hold his own against you guys. This time you're not going to be so lucky." Sighing, he looked up at the sky, waiting for the inevitable. "The question is: are you going to fight him?"

"I don't want to," Toshiro answered back. "But I know deep down that Byakuya is right."

"These are the end times…"

Toshiro rolled his eyes before continuing. "I'm surprised you're so hesitant about this. I'd have thought you of all people would want to see Bambietta executed for what she did to you and Komamura."

"Oh trust me, I haven't forgiven her for what she did. And Lieutenant Iba and Shuhei have felt the loss of Sajin more than the others. But I think that we need to learn to let things go, at least this once."

Sitting back in his chair, Toshiro rubbed his chest, feeling the scar where Buzz-B blasted off most of his torso. "Shinji, I trust Ichigo. I consider him a friend and a valuable ally. That's why I held my tongue during the meeting. But she's a murderer and I'm not sure we should simply let her get away with what she's done simply because she's his girlfriend."

Looking up at the clouds, Shinji sighed. "I'm aware. But most of the trouble the Soul Society has dealt with the past few years has been skeletons we've long kept in the closet resurfacing. I'm not saying she should be forgiven. But this isn't worth picking a fight with Ichigo."

Toshiro was silent. He closed his eyes and thought about the horrors he'd experienced during the war. He didn't know if he had the heart to forgive Buzz-B, Cang Du or Gigi for what they did to him and felt nothing but sadness for the thousands lost at the hands of their comrades. "I don't know…" he finally said. "This whole mess is-"

A black Hell Butterfly flew in between the captains. Shinji sat up quickly and let it land on his finger. Toshiro leaned forward as it relayed the message to the two captains, the voice of Head-Captain Kyoraku speaking to them.

" _We've just received a report that Substitute Soul Reaper, Ichigo Kurosaki, is no longer in the World of the Living. Due to the current circumstances we must assume that he and his allies are attempting to break into the Soul Society to free the condemned Sternritter, Bambietta Basterbine. All Captains and Lieutenants are to prepare for battle immediately."_

All Shinji could do was scowl angrily as he watched the butterfly take flight and fly away. Standing up, he excused himself to Toshiro and began to head back to Squad Five.

"I fucking told you so…"

 _ **Meanwhile…**_

Above the Seireitei a small patch of the blue sky started to distort. While most of the Soul Reapers below were none the wiser, the black maw of the Garganta tore a hole in the sky, dumping its occupants back into the Soul Society. While the others had determined faces, Nel looked around in awe as she descended from the sky with the others. "So this is the Soul Society? It's…brighter than I expected."

"You should feel lucky," Kisuke mused. Orihime summoned her shield to catch everybody. Slowly the shield descended to the ground. "You must be the first Arrancar to ever enter the Seireitei."

"What about when we went to the king's palace?" Nel pointed out.

"Mmmh, I'd say that's a completely different place."

The banter was cut short when Orihime's shield finally hit the ground. The group hopped off and everyone looked around. Chad, Orihime and Uryu all felt a wave of nostalgia when they recognize the surroundings. "Wait, this place…" Chad started.

"Where are we, Chad? I don't recognize this place," Ichigo asked.

Uryu answered, "When Kenpachi Zaraki sprung us, he tried to get us to Rukia's execution in time to stop it. But…thanks to Yachiru's poor navigation this was where we ended up."

Indeed, the group had landed on the flat courtyard where Kenpachi faced Tosen and Komamura. Ichigo focused his senses to locate his love. "She's…over there!" He pointed to a large group of buildings in the distance. "They're not taking her to the Sokyoku?"

"Don't you remember?" Yoruichi pointed out. "Thanks to Ukitake and Kyoraku, the Sokyoku was destroyed. That's Central 46. They must still be announcing her sentence."

Ichigo unsheathed his large Zangetsu blade. "Then we have to go. Now!" The group started to dash forward towards the exit of the courtyard…until they saw something bizarre.

Orihime blinked in confusion. "Is that…a shadow?"

Both Kisuke and Yoruichi frowned as the black mass started to rise up from the ground. "No," the shopkeeper said. He reached for his cane and pulled out Benihime. "That's-"

"Kyoraku," finished the werecat, cracking her knuckles.

The shadow rose to full height and began to descend back to the ground, leaving the new Head-Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads standing in its wake. Raising his straw hat, Kyoraku gave the assembled group a small smile. Despite the warmth coming from his expression, the released Shikai in his hands told the group that their rescue had already become a lot harder. "Well now, you all look like you're doing well," he greeted. "Ichigo, Ms. Inoue," he greeted with a friendly nod. "Mr. Sarutora. Mr. Ishida." He turned to his old comrades and gave another nod. "Kisuke. Yoruichi. It brings me a lot of joy to see that the two of you are okay after what you went through."

"Likewise," Kisuke greeted back, tipping his hat to the Head-Captain. "Hiding with the shadows of the Soul Society to find out where we'd show up. Your Kageoni has improved."

"Nanao will never let me hear the end of it if I don't keep sharpening my skills," Kyoraku nonchalantly shrugged. He then turned his attention to the rebellious lieutenants. "Lieutenant Abarai. Lieutenant Kuchiki," he stared accusingly.

Rukia gulped. "Head-Captain," she answered back.

"I do apologize for putting you in this position," he told them. "I wholly take the blame for this display of insubordination. You have my word that I'll do everything in my authority to make sure that you two aren't punished too harshly when this is over."

His eyes turned to Nel and he blinked. "I'm sorry, Miss, but I don't believe we've met."

"I am Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, or Nel for short. I'm the former Number Three Espada," Nel introduced.

"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Nel. And please don't tell me it's Mrs. Nel and break my heart," the man teased.

Ichigo cut an end to the banter and stepped forward. "Kyoraku, you know why we're here."

"I do," Kyoraku sighed. "I'm sorry, Ichigo. I truly am."

Stomping his foot, Ichigo started to get impatient. Every minute he wasted was every minute Bambi was closer to certain death. "The war is over, Kyoraku! Bambi has suffered enough! There's no reason to-"

"Three thousand, nine hundred and ninety-one."

The Substitute blink. "What?"

"Three thousand, nine hundred and ninety-one. That's how many reasons I have to do my duty and see that justice is delivered to the Vandenreich. This list of the dead is as long as it is painful. It includes the names of my friends Jushiro, Retsu, Sajin and Old Man Yama, along with others whose friends and family demand blood for the sorrows that have been inflicted. With Yhwach dead and many of the slain Sternritter now just Captain Kurotsuchi's playthings, the only one left to assume responsibility for what has been done to us is Bambietta Basterbine Unagiya."

Ichigo saw movement in his peripheral and turned to see Uryu walk past him. "If that's the case, then why haven't I been charged with any war crimes?" he asked. "I'm just as guilty of what's happened as she is."

Shifting the blades in his hands, Kyoraku merely stared at Uryu, unmoved by such a declaration. "Your words are noble, but you have no actions to support that sentence, Mr. Ishida. I distinctly remember being told by Ichigo that you hung back during all of the fighting and had only joined Yhwach and the Vandenreich in hopes of destroying them from the inside. You have spilt no blood and therefore cannot be charged with the same punishment. Tell me, can Bambietta claim such innocence? After the lives she's taken?" When Uryu fell silent Kyoraku decided that he'd made his point. "Now then, might I ask that you all lower your weapons and come with me?" he asked.

"No." Ichigo reached for his other sword and braced himself for a fight. "Bambi has suffered enough. She's done everything she can to earn a second chance. I won't let you kill her."

The Head-Captain was silent for a moment before slowly taking off his straw hat and his kimono. "Nanao, would you please hold these?"

From around the corner emerged Kyoraku's lieutenant, Nanao Ise. She gulped at the group in front of her and took her captain's articles before scurrying off.

Gripping Katen Kyokotsu tightly in his hands, Kyoraku looked at Ichigo and decided to try one last time to get Ichigo to stand down. "Ichigo, please lower your weapons. You'll only make things worse for you and your friends."

"I won't. I'm saving Bambietta no matter what," Ichigo said with all the brave defiance he had.

"Then I suppose we're at an impasse. But you've made a critical mistake, Ichigo. I'm surprised your friends haven't already figured it out."

Blinking in confusion, Ichigo turned to the others. While his Human friends didn't understand what Kyoraku was talking about, the sudden alarm in Kisuke's face was proof of Kyoraku's words. "Kisuke?"

"I thought it was weird that he'd show up by himself…"

"Tell me, Ichigo," Kyoraku spoke up. "Did you think that I planned to take on all of you by myself? I'm brave but I'm not you." He tilted his head down so that the Substitute could not see the nefarious smile on his face. "I was just stalling."

As if on cue, multiple people Flashstepped to Kyoraku's side. No longer were Ichigo and his friends facing one man. With the exception of Mayuri Kurotsuchi, every surviving captain and lieutenant had now assembled by their Head-Captain's side.

"Oh boy…" Kisuke couldn't help but chuckle at the dire turn of events. "Things just got more interesting…

While Ichigo and Kyoraku were exchanging words, knew something was off. Hearing the new Head-captain speaking so friendly and calmly despite the armed and very angry Ichigo, it was obvious that the man was stalling. She tuned her senses and felt multiple Soul Reapers coming towards them in a slow, but organized approach.

Yoruichi whispered in Kisuke's ear in a tone audible only to the shopkeeper. "They're coming." Seeing the look on her old friends face told her he sensed them too. Once the Head-Captain revealed his ploy, the shopkeeper decided to make the first move. Reaching into his pocket for certain items, he smiled mischievously at his former comrade. 'Shunsui, my old friend, you're good but the stalling tactic is the oldest trick in the book. So why don't I introduce you to a page from mine?"

Before Kyoraku and the others had time to stop him, Kisuke pulled his hand out of his pocket and a burst of black smoke erupted to obscure him and the rescue team from view.

The proud Byakuya Kuchiki scowled from such a cheap trick. He pulled out his zanpakuto and immediately released Senbonzakura. "Trying to fool us with such a trick. Do you really think us so feeble?" He summoned his blades and swirled them in a pink vortex around the cloud of smoke, dissipating it with wind the tornado brought as well as preventing any inside from escaping. When he recalled his Shikai back to him, Ichigo and his group remained where they were. Kisuke's gambit had failed.

No sooner did the pink petals fade did Ikkaku lunge into the fray. He wanted to take a crack at Ichigo before the other captains could get a piece. "I don't know why you want to release a war criminal, Ichigo. And I don't care!" He grinned with crazy bloodlust as he jumped into the air and slammed his sword and sheath together. "Extend: Hozukimaru!" Spinning his spear, Ikkaku aimed the metal blade right at Ichigo's head. "But as long as I get the chance to fight you again, I'll take it!"

Everyone braced themselves as Ichigo stood his ground, not drawing his blade as Ikkaku grew closer and closer. He raised his zanpakutos to block but Ikkaku was faster. Everyone gasped as Hozukimaru's spearhead impaled Ichigo's chest. Ikkaku blinked in confusion. "Wait, that was _too_ easy!"

And then Ichigo popped like a balloon.

And then so did Orihime and the others.

Kyoraku looked at the drifting pieces of plastic and shook his head. "Should have seen that coming…" he chuckled. Noticing a piece of paper where Kisuke had stood, Kyoraku sheathed his swords and walked over to pick it up.

" _Sorry, Kyoraku, but we're too determined to let you catch us so easily. P.S. How'd you like my new portable Gigais? They really know how to mess with people! Later!"_

The others quickly scattered to find the intruders, leaving Kyoraku standing amidst a pile of popped balloons while shaking his head. Before he joined the chase, Shinji turned his head. "Hey, Kyoraku?"

 _'And here it comes...'_ "Yes, Captain Hirako?"

"I TOLD YOU SO!"

To be continued


	23. Chapter 23

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. **

_Chapter Twenty-Three_

 **Squad 12; R &D Dept. **

Mayuri was sitting in front of his massive supercomputer, typing away as he watched the chaos ensue. At the behest of the new Head-Captain, Kurotsuchi had released thousands of surveillance bugs in the Soul Society in the event that Ichigo and the others tried to evade them. "This is good," Mayuri rubbed his hands together when he watched on the screen Ichigo and his friends evade them. "Now I can take Ichigo Kurosaki and finally get to pay him back for his disrespect now that he's a fugitive again. I should probably acquire Orihime Inoue as well to make him more pliable."

While Mayuri was thinking of all the cruel experiments he wanted to conduct on Ichigo and his friends, Akon burst into the lab. "Captain! There's an emergency!"

The chair Mayuri was sitting in leaned back and a sigh left the mad scientist's lips. "What is it now? Don't tell me the splice-hounds ate another grunt again…" he groaned.

Sweat dripping down his face, Akon shook his head. "No, sir. It's far worse. It's…your new corpse collection," he said, fearful of Mayuri's reaction.

Akon's fear was justified when Mayuri leapt out of his chair and spun around, rage seething inside his skull to the point where his eyes threatened to pop out of his head. "What?! What have you dolts done? I gave you specific instructions to not tamper with those specimens, DID I NOT?!" he shrieked. Mayuri had gone through painstaking effort to acquire the bodies of the Sternritter. Even harder was it to piece back the ones whose bodies had been completely destroyed. The scientist intended to reanimate them into a new corpse squad like he did with the Arrancars he'd revived.

With Mayuri looming over him with the presence of an angry shade, Akon shook his head. "No, sir. We received a report that one of the containment units was malfunctioning. When we left to go check…well…"

"Well WHAT?!"

"…its best you see for yourself."

Storming out of the laboratory and almost knocking Akon aside, the irate Mayuri hurried to his precious specimen vault. Throwing the doors open, his eyes widened at the sight before him.

"Well…" Mayuri's face soured as he took in the damage. "This doesn't bode well…"

While most of the containment vats were perfectly untouched with their corpses still inside, four vats were empty. One of the vats was devoid of its contents while three were smashed open. On the floor in a pool of his own blood was one of Mayuri's scientists. Walking over to one of the destroyed vats, Mayuri picked up a piece of glass and examined it. Pulling out a scanner from his pocket, he quickly analyzed the glass and found the answer he already knew. "So, you were just playing dead, eh, zombie girl?"

Akon ran up to him. "Sir, we need to alert the Head-Captain! With four Sternritter loose while we're trying to deal with Ichigo Kurosaki will cause a disaster." When Mayuri didn't answer him, he became deathly afraid as his captain started to shake in anger.

"That little witch! Ichigo Kurosaki can wait! Nobody makes a fool out of me!" He whirled around and headed out of the containment area. "Let Kyoraku and the rest of those fools deal with the whelp! I'll handle this myself!" The door slammed behind Mayuri, leaving Akon standing in the middle of the room with a lot of dead bodies. Looking at the slain scientist at his feet, Akon could only sigh in exasperation.

"I'll get the mop…"

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **Soul Society; Tower Bridge**

A Garganta formed in the middle of the spot where Renji once fought his captain and the fleeing Ichigo and his friends tumbled out. "Nice save, Kisuke!" Orihime praised as they all looked around.

"Thank you, Ms. Inoue. I have my moments." Kisuke tipped his hat to Orihime before turning back to Ichigo. "That will only delay them. Kyoraku wasn't made the Head-Captain for his sense of attire. He's a very wily man, second only to myself and perhaps Aizen. We need to hurry."

Yoruichi put a hand on her protégé's shoulder. "Ichigo, I know you know this but…" her face became concerned, "the captains aren't doing this out of spite. Kyoraku and the others…" she paused to find her words, "they-"

"I know," Ichigo simply said, keeping his back to his friends. "I know."

Chad looked around. "We should hurry to Central 46 before they move Bambietta."

"I agree," Kisuke nodded. "If Soi-Fon's the one in charge, she might kill her as soon as she learns we're here. We'd better-"

A sudden burst of spiritual pressure caught them off guard. The group turned to see Byakuya Kuchiki stalking towards them. "Brother!" Rukia gasped. She knew Byakuya was sharp but she didn't count on her brother finding them so soon.

"That was a clever trick, Kisuke. You made quite fools of us," the proud man seethed, the indignity of getting tricked a bitter pill to swallow.

"Thank you, I try."

"Ichigo," Byakuya addressed. Senbonzakura was already in hand, ready to be released. "I owe you a great debt. But I cannot let you save her. She is not Rukia," Byakuya reminded. "She deserves to be punished for her crimes. And if I have to use force," his hand slowly brought his sword to his face in a mock salute, "then so be it. Scatter: Sen-"

"Roar: Zabimaru!"

Renji's bladed whip slammed into Byakuya's sword, knocking his captian backwards. "Renji!" Rukia and Ichigo shouted as the redhead stood his ground.

"Heh, looks like I'm two for two in helping you save a convict," Renji morbidly chuckled. "Go and get your girlfriend, Ichigo. I'll hold him here. Listen, all of you!" he told the group. "The others will have already sensed Captain Kuchiki's spiritual pressure and are on their way here. You all need to halt their advance and buy time for Ichigo."

"Renji," Byakuya interrupted. He pointed his sword at his rebelling lieutenant. "Why are you helping them?"

"Like you said, Captain," Renji grinned. "I owe Ichigo a great debt. I'm prepared for the consequences."

"How unfortunate," Byakuya glared at his lieutenant with narrowed eyes. "I _am_ your consequence."

"Sorry, Captain. But it won't be like last time." Renji jumped into the air and shouted once more. "Roar: Zabimaru!"

While Renji attacked his captain, the Substitute and his friends all split, heading straight for Central 46. "He's right, you know." All eyes turned to Uryu, who already had his bow in hand. "We can't engage them all at once."

"Really?" Ichigo whipped his head around and glared at him. "We're splitting up again? That didn't exactly worked out in Hueco Mundo!" he pointed out. "The Espada almost killed us all."

"The Espadas were trying to kill us," Uryu pointed out. "But the captains and lieutenants aren't. They're just trying to delay us. So we'll delay them instead and let you get to Bambietta unimpeded."

Kisuke looked around and reluctantly nodded. "I agree with Mr. Ishida. If you manage to secure Bambietta and get her out of the Soul Society, Kyoraku will have no choice but to call off this whole thing. I know dividing our forces isn't the best strategy but it's the only plausible one."

"It is a good strategy," said a voice from out of nowhere. "But there's just one flaw in that plan. I've already caught you." A shadow covered the group. Ichigo looked up and saw Head-Captain Kyoraku bearing down on them, Katen Kyokotsu over his head. "Takaoni."

Ichigo grabbed his swords to defend himself but thankfully Orihime's spirits were faster. "Santen Kesshun!" Her shield appeared over Ichigo's head to protect him, only to shatter from Kyoraku's double strike. "What?!"

Landing in front of the group, Kyoraku merely smiled. "Takaoni," he explained. "Sorry, Ms. Inoue. Your shield's pretty tough. But in Takaoni the one who's got the high ground is the winner." He pointed his swords squarely at Ichigo. "Ichigo Kurosaki, I'm speaking to you not as your friend, but as your commanding officer. I am ordering you to stand down. If you don't, I cannot hold back." He crossed both blades and narrowed his remaining eye. "Don't make this any worse."

Ichigo sighed. "I'm sorry, Kyoraku. I don't want to fight you." He pointed his longsword back at Kyoraku. "But I love Bambi and I'm not going to let her die!"

Kyoraku sighed and shrugged. "I've fought many battles, Ichigo. I've fought for revenge, for honor and for glory. But I found that the hardest battles are when we fight for love. So don't mistake my duty for apathy." He wound his arm back. "Bushōgoma!" He launched a whirlwind at Ichigo, who prepared himself to fight back with a Getsuga Tensho.

"El Directo!"

Everyone turned in shock as Chad counterattacked with his own move, sending a blast of energy at the whirlwind and dispersing it. "Leave him to me, Ichigo," Chad told his best friend. "Go. Save Bambi." He turned his head to the rest of the group. "You heard Uryu. We need to buy time for Ichigo to get to Bambi."

"Right!" The group nodded and split from Ichigo and Chad to head off the approaching captains.

Kyoraku stepped forward and cocked his head to the side. "Mr. Sarutora," he addressed kindly. "Forgive me for pointing this out but…" his eye narrowed menacingly. "I believe we've been down this road before."

Chad cracked his knuckles. He hadn't forgotten how their last encounter went. He still had the scar. "Ichigo," he spoke, not turning his head. "Go."

"Be careful," Ichigo said as he took off, only for Kyoraku to appear in front of him. "Get out of my way!"

"And who gave you permission to go after her?" Kyoraku applied as he swung.

"I did."

Kyoraku was caught off guard by another of Chad's El Directo blasts and he jumped back. Ichigo took advantage of Kyoraku's temporary retreat and ran away. Chad firmly planted himself between his fleeing friend and the Head-Captain. "Sorry, Mr. Kyoraku, but you aren't getting past me." Chad put up his fists and readied to throw down.

"That remains to be seen," Kyoraku said. "Takaoni."

 ** _Meanwhile…  
_ Central 46**

Bambi was reaching the top of the stairs, her lungs burning as she ran for her life. "For pity's sake, who designed this place to have this many stairs?! My legs feel like they're gonna pop off!" she groaned.

As she took the last step and reached the top, she looked down to see if she was being pursued. To her relief, it appeared that Captain Soi-Fon had yet to awaken and come after her. "Guess I'm in the clear," she breathed. "I'd better get out of here before more captains show up." She looked down at her hand and flexed it, her wrist still aching from the restraints. "Didn't want to have to reveal my little secret too soon." Turning around, she saw a long corridor that led outside.

The Sternritter was caught off guard when she noticed a prescence coming towards her. Her eyes widened when she recognized the presence. "Ichigo! He's here!" Her heart fluttered with joy and she couldn't help but feel tears well up in her eyes from knowing he came to save her. "I'm coming, Ichigo!" she shouted as she ran down the hallway. "I'm coming, guys!" She couldn't help but grin. It was cute that he thought she needed rescuing when she perfectly handled her escape.

" _Bambi…"_

Bambietta came to a screeching halt. The joy in her heart was instantly replaced by a terror beyond description. ' _No…'_ she thought to herself as she stared off at the darkness behind her. ' _It can't be…she's dead!'_

But the voice from the darkness taunted that face. " _We've missed you, Bambi."_

"No…no fucking way! I know you died, bitch! There's no way in hell you're here!" Bambi screamed before turning and running to the exit, to the sunlight.

Sadly the shadows would never let her go.

" _Come with us, Bambi."_

The shadows caught up with Bambi just as safety was within her grasp. She screamed as the shadows claimed her, taking her away from her coming savior. Before she knew where she was, the shadows retreated around her and she spun around to see where she was.

She found herself no longer in the Soul Society. Instead, she was standing next to a massive crater, the Seireitei far off in the distance. Bambietta realized that she'd been taken to the spot of Ichigo's final battle with Souske Aizen. Whirling around, Bambietta's blood went cold when she saw four familiar faces smiling at her.

Candice Catnipp.

Liltotto Lamperd.

Meninas Mcallon.

…And Giselle Gewelle.

Crunching on a bag of pork skins, the smallest Sternritter smiled. "Hi, bitch," Liltotto grinned after taking a few bites. "Remember us?"

 _To be continued_


	24. Chapter 24

**A.N.: This is written in collaboration with BlueShard20.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. **

_Chapter Twenty-Four_

 **Outside the Seireitei**

Bambietta was in utter shock. Before her stood the four girls whom she'd thought were gone for good. But here they were, in the flesh. "How…how are you here?!" she demanded, glaring at her former comrades, especially Gigi. The anger and loathing she'd thought she'd left behind when she found love with Ichigo came back in the blink of an eye. "You're supposed to be dead!"

The four were unimpressed by the seething glares their old leader was giving them. Though they were alive, all four shared multiple stitch-like scars on their bodies, marring their beauty. "Can't we say the same about you?" Candice said, putting her hand on her hip while smugly grinning at their friend. "Last we remember, Gigi put a knife into your heart."

Liltotto threw away the empty bag of pig skins and wiped her face clean. "And that's before Gigi broke your scrawny neck. You haven't anymore right to be alive than the rest of us."

The rage inside Bambi's blood made her body feel like it was boiling over. Her nails dug into the palms of her hands from how hard she was balling her fists. "You…you…" Her pretty face twisted into a mask of ugly hatred.

Ignoring the growing rage on Bambi's face, Gigi stepped forward and threw her arms out. "Bambi! We missed you! I've missed you!"

"Get the hell away from me!" Bambi swung at Gigi, who jumped back before the brunette could slug her. "What do you four want with me?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Meninas asked, tapping her chin. "We wanted you to suffer."

"Suffer?"

Candice pointed at the stitches on her face. "Oh yeah, you're going to suffer, bitch. Just like the rest of us! First we were betrayed by His Majesty and were killed by the Auswahlen-"

"Not me and Gigi, actually," Liltotto pointed out. "We survived since we weren't struck directly like you two. We were killed by His Majesty himself."

"And after we endured such horrific deaths, that freak brought us back to life," Meninas continued, holding her arms as she remembered waking up inside one of Mayuri's vats. "The freak wanted to turn us into his own corpse unit like he did with those disgusting Arrancars."

Candice held out a fist in front of her. "We had to go through hell thanks to that blue-haired freak! And while we're sitting in those stupid vats, letting that asshole pump all those chemicals into us, what do we hear?" Her fist unfolded and a finger pointed at Bambi. "That a certain someone has been living it up in the World of the Living, alive and well."

"Not only that, but we heard that you were sharing your bed with Ichigo Kurosaki. I mean really, Bambi, I always knew you had no shame," Meninas taunted, her cheeks blushing as she remembered overhearing the scientists.

"So while we've been enduring fates worse than death, you've been living the highlife as a schoolgirl and knocking boots with our enemy," finished Candice. "Did you think we wouldn't take that lightly?"

"You four deserved everything you got!" Bambi roared. "You left me to fight all alone, then when I lost you KILLED ME!" She pointed at Gigi. "Then you turn me into one of your Zombie slaves, get my arm cut off and have my body broken! And what did you do after that? YOU KILLED ME AGAIN! So far as I'm concerned, whatever happens to you is beyond my caring. All four of you deserve to go to Hell!"

"You first, Bambi," Gigi giggled.

"That's right." Lightning crackled around Candice's body. "We heard that the Soul Reapers were going to off you, but that wouldn't satisfy us. How dare you think you can go on living while we're some Soul Reaper's pet project?! So we broke out to deal with you ourselves before we head for the World of the Living. We always hated your guts. So now we're going to kill you a third time!"

"And then I'm going to make you my zombie again!" proclaimed a happy Gigi.

"And we'll all live happily ever after," Meninas smiled.

"Well, except for you," snickered Liltotto, opening another bag of pig skins.

 _ **Meanwhile…  
**_ **With Kensei, Rose and Ikkaku**

Two Vizard captains and one lieutenant were in hot pursuit of Ichigo's group. While Shuhei, Mashiro and Izuru had all gone together as one group to search, Ikkaku had instead followed Kensei and Rose, hoping that their Hollow powers might help them locate Ichigo faster so he can get back to fighting him.

Despite Ikkaku's eagerness, the Vizard captains were conflicted about going into battle against Ichigo of all people. Despite the short month they spent training the orange-haired teen, they truly felt like he had become one of them, someone they could put their trust in. But now that they were back in their roles as captains, it was now their duty to stop Ichigo no matter how much they disliked the situation.

Rose looked over at his comrade while running a hand through his wavy blonde hair dramatically. "My, my, this is becoming nasty."

Kensei nodded and even Ikkaku had to concede that things were spiraling out of control.

"Tell me about it. I don't get Ichigo sometimes but this is an all new level of headache. But…" Kensei's brow furrowed in frustration. "Not only are we fighting him but Kisuke and Yoruichi? After all they did for us it feels dirty having to fight them." His fists clenched tightly and he grit his teeth. "What the hell? How did Kyoraku and Mayuri let this happen?"

"Hell if I know," Ikkaku cut in. Still, he couldn't resist his thrilled grin. "Still, I've always wanted to take a crack at those two. Maybe I'll have some fun." His senses threw up alarm bells as something off in the distance happened. "They're splitting up!"

The three stopped in their tracks. Kensei was the first to put up a stance, putting up his fists and readying himself. "And one of them is coming right at us!"

A green blur rocketed towards the Soul Reapers. The three were forced to scatter while something landed between them faster than they could react.

"What was that?" Rose grimaced, his sword drawn.

A cloud of dust obscured the attacker for a moment. But they had all gone up against Aizen's forces long enough to recognize its spiritual pressure. Ikkaku immediately released Hozukimaru. "That's an-"

"Arrancar," Kensei finished, spotting the mask fragment on the attacker's head as she walked out of the dust.

Neliel walked out of the cloud and faced her opponents, her face serene but determined. "I'm sorry. But I can't let you three go after Ichigo. You won't get past me."

The conviction in her voice told the men that she was serious. Rose sighed as he put on a sad pose. "How vulgar. Three men attacking a woman is extremely disheartening."

"Blast it: Tachikaze!"

Kensei mercilessly unleashed his zanpakuto. Both Ikkaku and Rose were surprised as the Squad Nine captain went on the offensive so quickly. His wind blade blasted right at Neliel, making her disappear in an instant.

But Kensei was smart enough to know that there should be a body instead of nothing. "Where'd she-"

"Over here."

His answer came when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see the emerald-haired woman behind him. He swung his elbow back to strike Neliel in the face but the woman was a hair faster, punching him in the side of his ribcage and sending him flying into a wall.

Ikkaku and Rose felt the seriousness of the situation as she drew her sword from her hip and pointed it at them.

"As I said. None of you will get past me."

 _ **With Ichigo**_

With speed that would have impressed Yoruichi, Ichigo rushed as fast as he could to Bambi's aid. "Hang on, Bambi!" he panted. "If I have to knock some skulls with those bastards, then I'll remind them why they're all still alive!"

She was close. Ichigo could feel her spirit energy nearby, signaling how near she was. Then Ichigo felt some changes. The sharp burst in pressure made Ichigo smile, realizing that Bambi had somehow freed herself and was escaping. Then her spiritual pressure suddenly went dark and cold. And then it had vanished entirely. He felt something else, something darker, obscure Bambi's spiritual pressure and vanish like a ghost. The fear of Bambi getting hurt crept deeper into Ichigo's heart and he hoped that he wasn't too late.

He landed right at the front gate to the chambers. No sooner did his Flashstep cease was he intercepted by several guards. "Halt! This is the sacred ground of Central 46, you fool! State your business now or-"

With but a single, overwhelming burst of Ichigo's enormous pressure, the guards were cut short and knocked out by his mere presence alone. Ichigo was not holding back. Not anymore.

"I don't have time to deal with you morons! I've a girlfriend who needs saving." Ichigo approached the door but its security activated upon his approach, thick metal bars protecting the door. "I don't have time for this!" Ichigo's patience was wearing thin. Concentrating, he remembered Bambi's Quincy training and began to focus his Blut. Using his newly awakened Blut Arterie, Ichigo ripped the bars off and cut through the door with his zanpakuto.

Dashing down the stairs to the spot where Bambi's presence disappeared, Ichigo looked around frantically. "Bambi! Where are you?!" He was fearful that Soi-Fon or someone else had gotten to her. But he saw no signs of blood, no signs of battle or Bambi blowing her lid. He tried to sense her energy but she was nowhere to be found. Finding no clues, Ichigo trekked back up the stairs and headed outside to the entrance, running onto the bridge that led back to the Seireitei.

Right as he was about to Flashstep away, a certain large, spiky-haired captain landed on the bridge and faced Ichigo with a wide smirk.

"Well, well. Look who's finally come back to fight me," Kenpachi said, hefting his sword on his shoulder.

Ichigo couldn't believe his bad luck. For Kenpachi to show up now of all times was horrible. "This isn't the time or the place, Kenpachi! Get out of my way! I don't time to fight you right now."

Kenpachi frowned at Ichigo's statement. "Get out of your way? You've grown a spine, I see, considering you were fleeing for your life the last time we fought." His body pulsed with monstrous yellow spirit energy to show him that he wasn't planning on getting out of his way. "If that girl is so important to you, then FIGHT ME!" he roared. "I've been itching for this since the last time we fought. That's why I agreed to help kill your girlfriend. All to fight you again. If you want to save her again then you better fight me or I'll go and kill her myself!"

The massive man's power started to skyrocket. Ichigo knew the man would not budge, only motivated by his love of fighting. And now Ichigo's blood was boiling from what Kenpachi just said. He was pissed off now. Having no other choice, he drew his two swords and responded to Ichigo's spirit energy with his own. If he had to fight Kenpachi, he wouldn't back down. Not with Bambi at stake.

The downed guards from earlier started to wake up. But no sooner did they wake up, they were knocked unconscious by the colossal amount of pressure coming from them.

Wasting no time, the men charged at each other, meeting halfway in the bridge. The lake underneath the bridge began to churn as if it was in the middle of a hurricane, water rising up in a geyser around the pair as their blades clashed.

 _ **With Rukia**_

After Rukia and her friends split off to stall the Soul Reapers, she sensed a person with captain-level spirit energy coming right at her. She didn't need to guess who it was. The chill in the air was obvious. "So he's coming after me. I might have the slight advantage since he hasn't fully recovered."

While most of the squads were in the dark about what happened to Toshiro Hitsugaya, Rukia was one of the few privy to what transpired to the poor boy during the war. Despite training diligently in order to compensate for his Bankai being stolen, Toshiro was mercilessly defeated by Buzz-B. His ice techniques were no match for The Heat. Although Kisuke's timely intervention saved him by giving him back his Bankai, Toshiro was captured by the enemy and turned into a zombie by Giselle Gewelle, the Z Sternritter. During a battle in which he was pit against Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the captain was subdued and stored in a pod that restored his life, though it cut his lifespan down drastically. In addition, the captain sustained heavy injuries during the fight against Gerard Valkyrie, only saved once again thanks to Yhwach's treacherous Auswahlen.

"Still. I have to buy time for Ichigo to get Bambietta out of the Soul Society."

She'd been wondering during the trip through the Garganta exactly what the ex-Sternritter truly meant to Ichigo. Like Renji, she knew her duty. But after everything Ichigo had done for her she owed him this much. If it hadn't been for Ichigo she'd be dead and would never had gotten the chance to make peace with the death of Kaien Shiba, becoming a lieutenant and gaining her older brother's respect. She even lost count of the number of times Ichigo risked his life for the sake of the Soul Society and the people he loved.

Taking a deep breath, Rukia waited on top of a rooftop and waited for Toshiro to come to her. "Ichigo, you never change," she murmured, smiling from her friend's dedication. "If she really means that much to you, then as your friend…" she gripped her sword and unsheathed it, "I will fight to protect what you want to protect."

Rukia had finished molding her resolved when the captain in question made his appearance. Captain Hitsugaya Flashstepped onto the rooftop opposite of Rukia's. "Lieutenant Kuchiki, stand down," the young man ordered. "I do not wish to fight your or the others."

Clutching her sword tightly, Rukia stood her ground. "I don't want to fight you either, Captain Hitsugaya. But if you intend to go after Ichigo or Bambietta then I will have no choice but to stop you."

All Toshiro could do was sigh. He expected that response but he still dreaded the knowledge that he'd have to fight his fellow comrade. But he was still the captain of Squad Ten and like Byakuya said, he had a duty to ensure justice was done, even to those who would rebel against the Head-Captain's orders.

"Very well then." He reached behind him and drew his zanpakuto. "I won't question your motives. I can see in your eyes that you're motivated. And it would be an insult as well, given your friendship with Ichigo Kurosaki. Prepare yourself."

"Rain over the frosted heavens: Hyorinmaru!"

"Dance: Sode no Shirayuki!"

Releasing their zanpakuto in unison, the air around them plunged to polar temperatures. This would be a battle of ice vs ice.

 _ **With Orihime**_

The orangette panted as she dashed down the street, her chest bouncing despite her best efforts to stop. "Oh, why did I let Kisuke convince me to wear this again?" she wondered out loud, having put on the outfit that Kisuke had made for her during the war, the one where Ichigo said she "showed off too much skin".

Seeing multiple people heading right for her, Orihime prepared herself. She might be outnumbered but she was not outmatched. She'd trained hard with Chad during the time Ichigo lost his powers and had trained harder while they were in Hueco Mundo. "Don't worry, Ichigo!" she said confidently. "I'll hold them here! Please find Bambi!" She adored her friend and although their love for Ichigo may have soured their friendship, she'd come to view Bambietta like a sister just like Tatsuki.

When she saw a head of strawberry blonde hair among the group coming to her she knew this was going to be harder than she thought. Rangiku Matsumoto, running alongside Izuru Kira, Shuhei Hisagi and Momo Hinamori, frowned at their friend as she stood in their path. "Orihime," she said slowly, giving her old friend a stern glare. "This doesn't have to get messy. Please step aside."

"I'm sorry, Rangiku." She put a hand to her hairpins, which glowed as she readied for a fight. "But Bambietta's my friend, I can't let you kill her."

Izuru, ever the dutiful lieutenant, stepped forward and put a hand on his zanpakuto. Even though he was brought back to life as one of Mayuri's creations, his sense of duty was still intact. "Think about what you're doing, Ms. Inoue. We don't want to hurt you but if we have to go through you, we will," he swore.

"I'm sorry. I know…" Orihime put a hand over her heart. "I know she's done terrible things. I've seen…her darkness," she confessed. She looked over at Rangiku. "But Ichigo believes she deserves a second chance. And I do too."

Rangiku could only sigh in exasperation. Of course the willful girl would stand up for her friend. "I guess I should've expected that." At the very least she gave her friend a reassuring smile. The lieutenant didn't agree with what Orihime was doing but she could at least understand why she was doing it.

But for her friends, not so much. Shuhei drew his sword. "If you won't get out of the way, we'll force our way past you," he threatened. He took a step forward…and then stopped in his tracks. Orihime wondered why his face turned bright red and why he stopped his advance.

Momo also noticed the man's hesitation. "Shuhei? What's the matter?"

"Nothing…" the lieutenant stammered. "It's just…"

Orihime followed his line of sight and realized he was staring right at her cleavage. She remembered what Rangiku once told her about Shuhei being weak to big-chested women and concluded that her revealing outfit was distracting him.

' _Huh, maybe Kisuke knew what he was talking about when he told me to put this one…'_

 _ **With Renji…**_

"Roar!"

Byakuya deftly evaded Renji's attack, keeping his distance from his lieutenant's quick strikes. "Hadō #33: Sou-"

"Rah!" Renji roared, hurling Zabimaru at his captain before he could finish his chant. "That's not going to work on me again!"

Another pillar was cut down when Byakuya dodged again. This time he got closer to Renji. The lieutenant recalled his sword and met his captain, sparks flying from their connecting blades. Byakuya glared at his insubordinate right-hand man. "Renji…"

"Yes, Captain?" Renji grinned as he chopped at Byakuya, who jumped back to avoid it.

"When you rebelled against me to save Rukia, there was a part of me that understood what you were doing." Byakuya remembered that day well, when he came very close to killing Renji. "You may have had your heart in the right place back then, but you have no excuse this time. As your captain, tell me why you are aiding Ichigo Kurosaki."

Renji was silent for a moment, feeling a little ashamed of himself. Like with Rukia, he knew that his duty told him that he should be siding with his captain and the others and leave Bambietta Basterbine to her fate. "I'm aware, Captain Kuchiki. I don't have any real excuse to justify my actions," he confessed.

"Then why?" demanded the older man.

"Well…" Renji gripped his sword with both hands. "I made a promise a long time to stand by Ichigo when he needed it most. And right now, he needs my support more than you."

Byakuya paused for a moment, tilting his head back. Captain and lieutenant stared down each other for a tense moment. "You're right, Renji," he finally said.

The redhead blinked. "You do?"

"I don't understand. Loyalty to your friend is one thing, but defending a murderer is not a show of loyalty. If I didn't know better," his eyes narrowed. "I'd say you chose to fight just so we can fight again."

"Heh," Renji chuckled. "Well I can't lie that it's been a long time since you and I went head to head. Part of me wondered how I stacked against you after everything I been through. I guess it's the Squad Eleven in me," he said. "But I meant what I said when I said about Ichigo. I stand by him. Even if you don't' understand it." He held out his sword and grinned. "I said you won't get past me. And you won't."

"Don't be so sure of yourself, Renji," Byakuya warned, holding out his sword. "You'll lose just as easily as you did last time."

"Think again."

"Bankai!" both men said.

"Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

"So-Oh Zabmimaru!"

 _ **With Chad**_

"El Directo!"

A massive blue blast shot out of Chad's left arm. The captain countered it with Danku, watching the blast slam into his shield. "This is quite troublesome," Kyoraku mused. When the dust settled, he saw Chad standing before him, not having broken a sweat yet. "My, you've grown quite a bit, Mr. Sarutora," he praised.

"Thank you, Head-Captain Kyoraku," Chad said in turned.

"I remember the last time you and I fought. Back then…" he recalled batting away Chad's attacks with his bare hands, "your punches didn't have much bite."

"I've been through a lot since then. It won't be like last time," Chad promised.

"Yes, I see that. It looks like…" he jumped into the air. "I'll have to put in some effort. Takaoni."

Chad thought he was prepared but Kyoraku was faster than he thought. He jumped back in the nick of time, Kyoraku's blade missing him by a hair. He swung with his left arm and punched the man. Kyoraku took it in the side and was sent flying. But Chad quickly saw that the man had jumped back in preparation for the attacking, taking away the brunt of his punch.

"I'm surprised. You didn't block with your shield?" Kyoraku asked as he charged for another swing. This time Chad did block, pushing him back.

"You told Inoue that in Takaoni the one with the high ground always wins. If I had blocked…" A chill went down his spine. "I like to keep my arms, if you don't mind."

"You've a sharp ear. You really have improved. But…" Kyoraku's longsword slammed into Chad's shield. The boy cursed as the man penetrated his guard. "I'm not quite done yet. Irooni," he said. The Fullbringer felt the air shift when Kyoraku changed the game. "Bla-"

"Pink."

"Huh?

Kyoraku accidentally lowered his guard, letting Chad slam his fist into his face. Kyoraku went flying, landing on his back, blood pouring down his face. "Ughh…" he groaned as he sat up. "Well I'll be. Seems someone has spilled the beans about my zanpakuto abilities."

"You can thank Mr. Urahara for that," Chad explained, putting his fists up while the captain got to his feet. "Irooni turns the fight into a color battle. You have to say the color you want to hit."

"But I'm not wearing any pink," Kyoraku reminded, having handed his kimono over to Nanao when Ichigo showed up. "Your attack surprised me and it hurt my nose a little. But it wasn't as effective as it should have been."

"You don't have pink on you." Chad held up his shield. "But I do."

"Ah. Smart boy," Kyoraku nodded. "The more dangerous the color is to you, the more effective it is. Even if I'm not wearing the color in question, if you have it on you then I'll at least feel some damage. I see Kisuke's told you about my capabilities."

"Mr. Kyoraku," Chad interrupted. "Don't you think this has gone far enough?" he let his arms down for a moment. "Please, call off Bambietta's execution. You've already won the war. And she's already suffered enough."

"If only I could, Chad. If only." Kyoraku sighed. "You're young. The World of the Living doesn't consider you an adult yet by their standards. You don't yet understand what it's like to be in charge of something bigger than yourself." He cocked a thumb over to the clashing spirit energies of Ichigo and Kenpachi. "The same with Ichigo. He's got it stuck in his head that if he charges into a situation with a stubborn attitude and some heart, he'll be able to push through anything. This is the third time he's defied common sense to save someone he cares about."

"But the world isn't as simple as you two think it is. You think just because a person has put on a nice face, goes to school with you and shows you a rare glimmer of goodness in her heart, it automatically absolves her of the terrible things she's done? The hundreds she's murdered? The evil she's perpetuated?" Kyoraku could only shake his head. "Were it any other person I might have been able to sympathize with you. But as the leader of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, I have a duty to see her punished for her crimes. I respect your resolve, Mr. Sarutora. I truly do." He gripped his swords tighter. "But I am going to have to knock some sense into you and Ichigo."

"Kageoni."

Chad put up his shield in response but was taken aback when Kyoraku stabbed at his own shadow. Remembering what Kisuke told him, he looked over at his own shadow and gasped when the blade suddenly appeared. He grunted when the blade pierced his shield, drawing blood.

"Let's play, Mr. Sarutora…"

 _ **With Kisuke & Yoruichi**_

"It looks like things are getting heated," Yoruichi noted as she felt the clashing energies bursting around the Seireitei. "Everyone seems to have their hands full." The woman and her friend were jumping from rooftop to rooftop. "Kisuke, did you feel that too? Or was it just me?"

"I wish it was just you," Kisuke sighed. "I've got a bad feeling about this. And part of me knows it's Mayuri's doing." He reached into his pocket. "Here." He pulled out a small communicator. "Take this and keep in touch."

Yoruichi pocketed the item before seeing Kisuke head for Squad Twelve. "You aren't going to fight the others? What's in Squad Twelve that's so important?"

"The communications department," the sly shopkeeper explained. "I'm going to go over there and kindly ask to use their surveillance equipment to find Bambietta." He cocked a thumb over in the direction of their old squad. "You mind keeping the Punishment Force occupied? I doubt they'd be a threat to Ichigo but I'd hate for them to make a move on Orihime or Chad."

"Right. Have fun, Kisuke," Yoruichi grinned before disappearing with a Flashstep.

"You too."

 _ **With Soi-Fon**_

"Ughh…" Soi-Fon groaned as she came to, her neck feeling sore and her head throbbing in pain. Her senses came back to her quickly and it didn't take long to remember what happened. "Urgh! That little tramp!" she cursed, punching the wooden floor beneath her, splintering it beneath her fist. "How dare she do that to me?!"

She stood back up and drew her sword, darting up the stairs quickly. "When I get a hold of her, there won't be anything left to bury!" Her blood was boiling as she made her way up the stairs, murder in her eyes.

As she reached the top, the clashing spirit energies coming from the exit was so strong Soi-Fon almost fell back down the stairs. "What…power…" she grimaced before steeling herself. Raising her own pressure to counter it, she ran to the exit and saw who was fighting. "Ichigo? Why is he here?!" she gaped. "We shut down the Senkaimon to keep him out!"

The image of a certain shopkeeper popped into her head and her blood boiled like lava. "Kisuke! I should have known that snake had a hand in this!"

 _ **With Kisuke…**_

"ACHOO!" Kisuke sneezed. "Yep…looks like Soi-Fon's pissed at me."

 _ **Back to Soi-Fon…**_

Soi-Fon felt her spine tingle. She had no idea how strong both Kenpachi and Ichigo had gotten. "What a bunch of monsters," she noted.

Seeing Ichigo's back to her, Soi-Fon decided not to waste the opportunity. Kenpachi might make a fuss, but Ichigo needed to be stopped before he could make another attempt to rescue Bambietta. "I'll deal with him. Then I'll go after the girl." She drew Suzumebachi and prepared to jump into the fray.

"I don't think so."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw blue flashing towards her. She Flashstepped before Uryu's Quincy arrow could strike her. Reappearing on the roof of Central 46, Soi-Fon scowled at the young man as he calmly walked towards her. "The Head-Captain was generous enough to pardon your crimes. And this is how you repay him?" she spat.

"What does a Quincy need with a Soul Reaper's pardon?" Uryu retorted back, his new bow in hand.

"You should have stayed in the World of the Living where you belonged, Quincy…" Soi-Fon ran a hand along the side of her sword. "Sting all enemies to death: Suzumebachi." Her sword glowed before it transformed into her stinger. "You can join your brethren in Hell."

"I've been to Hell actually. Didn't care for it." Uryu drew his bow on Soi-Fon and fired. "Ichigo and I are going to take Bambietta back to her family. You are going to stop this madness. I won't allow you to kill any more of my people."

"You'll die trying, Quincy."

Soi-Fon charged just as Uryu fired at her skull.

 _ **Back to Bambietta…**_

The four treacherous Sternritters grinned at the stunned Bambietta, all of them ready to rip the girl to bits. "I hope you're ready, Bambi," she said, observing the beaten-up state Bambietta was in from Soi-Fon's abuse. The girl already had a black eye and the side of her head was cut open. "You're going to be far uglier than you are now when we're through."

Silence filled the air as Bambi stared at her former comrades, their intent to murder her and place her in the familiar hell of zombification clear. For a moment, she said nothing. Then the Sternritter did something that none of the four were expecting.

Bambietta laughed at them.

"Ahahahahahahah!"

Candice scowled. "Has she lost her mind or something? She's going to die and she's laughing."

"Maybe she lost a few brain cells coming back to life?" Liltotto suggested.

"Oh? Are you happy, Bambi? That you get to be my zombie again?" Gigi asked.

Stifling her giggles, Bambi smiled at the four and her hands flexed. "Oh I am happy. I'd long thought that my wish would never come true. And yet here you all are, far from the Soul Reapers who can't interfere. This couldn't have turned out more perfectly."

"What?" asked an irked Candice. "What wish?"

Bambietta smirked and summoned her sword in her hand. "For these past months, all I ever wanted was the chance to hack you four to pieces for what you did to me. And now here you are."

"You stupid bitch," Liltotto mocked, throwing away the second empty bag of pig skins. "You're outnumbered four to one and your boyfriend isn't here to save you."

"You got it backwards," Bambietta continued to smirk. "You think he would come here to save me?" Her spiritual pressure roared to life, stunning the other four girls with its intense energy.

"You dumbasses! Ichigo isn't here to stop me from what I'm about to do to _you_!"

 _To be continued_


End file.
